IF  KINDERGARTEN   LIT 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


STA 


LOS  ANGELES 

'E  NORMAL  SCHC 

LIBRARY 


NATIONAL 
LIBRARY  OF  KINDERGARTEN  LITERATURE 

Edited  by 
NATIONAL  KINDERGARTEN   ASSOCIATION 

Volume  1 


Sketches  of  Froebel's 
Life  and  Times 

WITH  INTRODUCTION 
BY  THE 

HON.  P.  P.  CLAXTON 

United  States  Commissioner  of  Education 


1914 
MILTON  BRADLEY  COMPANY 

SPRINGFIELD,  MASSACHUSETTS 


COPYRIGHT,  1914, 
BY  MILTON  BRADLEY  Co. 


Education 
Library 


LS 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTION,        .     .     .     .   P.  P.  Claxton    vii 

EDUCATION:  FROEBEL,     John  Jay  Chapman       1 
From  "  Causes  and  Consequences.  " 

IN  KEILHAU,      ......  Georg  Ebers    28 

From  "The  Story  of  my  Life." 

INFANT  GARDENS,  .     .     .    James  L.  Hughes  124 
From  "  Dickens  as  an  Educator." 

GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU, 

Henrietta  Schroder,  Berlin  147 

Translated  by  Bertha  Hofer  Hegner 
Edited  by  Amalie  Hofer  Jerome,  and 
reprinted  from  Kindergarten  Magazine 
by  her  permission. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY,   ..........  195 


INTRODUCTION 

EEK  ye  first  the  Kingdom  of  God. " 
— On  his  first  Monday  morning  in 
school,  the  boy  Friedrich  Froebel 
heard  the  children,  all  standing,  repeat 
these  words.  They  were  the  words 
of  the  text  of  the  sermon  to  which  the  children 
had  listened  on  Sunday.  Every  morning  of  the 
week  they  were  repeated  over  and  over  again, 
by  individual  children  and  by  the  whole  group, 
until  they  made  an  impression  upon  him, "as 
none  had  ever  done  before  and  none  had  ever 
done  after."  Writing  of  this  event  forty  years 
later,  he  says,  "Perhaps  even  then,  the  simple 
boy  heard  and  felt  that  these  words  would  be 
the  foundation  and  the  salvation  of  his  life, 
bringing  to  him  that  conviction  which  was  to 
become  later  on  to  the  working,  striving  man, 
a  source  of  incomparable  courage,  of  unflinching, 
ever-ready,  and  cheerful  self-sacrifice.  In  short, 
my  introduction  into  that  school  was  my  birth 
into  the  higher,  spiritual  life."  He  who  would 
understand  Froebel's  life  and  philosophy  of 
education  must  bear  this  statement  in  mind, 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

and  remember  that  for  Froebel,  the  Kingdom 
of  God  meant  the  realization  of  the  divine 
spirit  in  the  individual  man  and  woman,  and 
of  the  divine  order  in  human  society. 

No  other  educator  has  realized  so  fully  the 
unity  of  nature,  man,  and  God.  No  other  has 
seen  more  clearly  the  vision  of  redeemed  hu- 
manity, living  in  harmony  with  nature,  governed 
by  love,  and  rejoicing  in  ever-progressing  crea- 
tive work.  No  other  has  ever  understood  better 
that  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  the  Kingdom  of 
love,  of  light,  of  life,  of  truth,  and  of  intelligent, 
skillful,  effective  service.  For  him,  all  roads 
lead  to  God.  For  him,  God  is  the  all-pervading, 
creative  spirit  of  the  Universe.  The  soul  of 
man  is  a  part  of  the  divine  essence.  The  edu- 
cation of  man  consists  in  the  unfolding  and 
revelation  of  this  divine  essence,  through  well- 
guided,  spontaneous,  creative  activity.  God 
is  a  creator,  and  man,  made  in  his  image,  is  a 
creator  also.  Education  does  not  consist  alone 
or  chiefly  in  instruction  or  training,  but  rather — 
development  and  growth.  The  teacher  is  there- 
fore a  gardener,  watching  patiently  and  intelli- 
gently for  the  budding  points  of  the  soul,  the 
nascent  stages  of  interest,  supplying  suitable 
environment — food,  light,  and  air — and  pro- 
tecting the  child  against  those  who,  in  their 
ignorance  and  ruthless  zeal,  would  hamper  and 
restrain,  dwarf  and  warp,  or  unduly  stimulate 


INTRODUCTION  ix 

the  child  by  untimely  prescription.  The  school 
is  a  garden  in  which  children  live  and  grow 
through  healthy,  happy,  vigorous,  active  child- 
hood, to  strong  purposeful  manhood.  Man, 
the  child,  is  an  active  animal,  a  struggler  alive 
and  happy  only  in  activity. 

With  a  full  understanding  of  the  importance 
of  spontaneous  activity  and  the  dangers  of 
narrow  prescription,  Froebel  avoided  the  dangers 
and  absurdities  of  leaving  the  child,  without 
guidance,  to  the  unlicensed  freedom  of  the 
savage.  "The  development  of  the  child's  inner 
being  must  be  on  the  one  hand  spontaneous, 
and,  on  the  other,  in  accord  with  the  universal 
trend  of  life."  To  know,  interpret,  and  apply 
the  trend  of  life  in  guiding  the  spontaneous 
activities  of  the  child,  is  a  task  worthy  the 
understanding  and  skill  of  the  wisest  and  best. 
"Would  there  might  be  for  the  human  being, 
for  my  child,  even  from  its  first  advent  into  the 
world,  a  correct  comprehension  of  its  being,  a 
suitable  fostering  and  management,  an  education 
truly  leading  to  the  all-sided  attainment  of  its 
destiny."  That  there  might  be  such  loving 
fostering,  such  intelligent  leading,  he  plead 
"that  we  live  with  our  children,  live  for  them, 
and  give  our  lives  to  them." 

And  this  is  not  mere  sentiment,  it  is  the 
highest  statesmanship  and  the  truest  principle 
of  economics.  Charles  Dickens,  the  advocate 


x  INTRODUCTION 

of  the  kindergarten  in  England,  was  right  when 
he  declared,  "there  would  be  fewer  sullen, 
quarrelsome,  dull-witted  men  and  women,  if 
there  were  fewer  children  starved  and  fed  im- 
properly in  heart  and  brain.  Society  can  be 
improved  only  by  making  men  and  women 
better  by  wholesome  education  in  childhood 
and  infancy."  When  this  principle  is  fully 
recognized  in  our  democracy  there  will  be  a  new 
perspective  in  legislation  and  a  new  adjustment 
of  the  agencies  of  government. 

It  has  been  said  that  Froebel  discovered 
infancy  as  the  most  important  part  of  the  life 
of  the  individual  and  its  proper  treatment  as 
the  most  important  problem  in  education. 
Truly  a  great  discovery,  and  probably  his  most 
important  contribution  to  education  and  his 
surest  guarantee  of  immortality.  Out  of  this 
discovery  came  the  kindergarten  which  in  some 
form  must  continue  as  an  integral  part  of  the 
world's  system  of  education.  Much  of  the 
program  of  the  kindergarten  grows  out  of  the 
fact  that  the  child  cannot  be  developed  alone, 
in  contact  only  with  nature,  or  even  in  contact 
with  older  people.  The  child  is  a  social  being 
and  must  have  the  society  of  other  children. 
This  social  contact  is  most  useful  in  play  and 
co-operative  work — a  principle  too  often  for- 
gotten even  by  scientific  students  of  the  child 
and  its  education.  "We  are  not  wholesome 


INTRODUCTION  xi 

unless  we  are  self-f orgetting "  and  we  are  most 
self-forgetting  in  spontaneous  social  activity. 
Life  is  the  child's  greatest  teacher  and  it  can- 
not teach  its  best  lessons  unless  it  be  full  and 
varied. 

"Turning  the  attention  upon  selfish  ends,  no 
matter  how  remote  or  momentary,  hurts  the 
organization,  contracts  the  intellect,  dries  up 
the  emotions,  and  is  felt  as  unhappiness.  Turn- 
ing the  attention  toward  public  ends  benefits 
the  organism,  enlarges  the  intellect,  and  is  felt 
as  happiness."  The  social  life  of  the  kinder- 
garten effectively  directs  the  attention  of  the 
child  toward  unselfish  ends. 

Froebel's  philosophy  of  education  did  not  end 
with  the  development  of  the  individual  child, 
however  important  that  may  be.  It  includes 
the  race.  "Humanity  is  not  fixed  and  sta- 
tionary, but  is  steadily  and  progressively 
growing,  in  a  state  of  ever-living  development, 
ever  ascending  from  one  stage  of  culture  to 
another,  its  goal  partaking  of  the  infinite  and 
eternal."  The  welfare  and  happiness  of  the 
race  is  not  less  important  than  the  welfare  and 
happiness  of  the  individual.  The  education  of 
each  must  have  regard  to  that  of  the  other. 

The  value  of  the  vocational  and  practical  in 
education  was  understood  by  Froebel,  and  he  is 
not  the  least  among  the  forces  that  have  given 
modern  education  its  industrial  tendency.  But 


xii  INTRODUCTION 

his  philosophy  comprehends  also  the  life  that 
cannot  live  by  bread  alone.  In  a  time  when 
there  is  danger  of  over-emphasis  on  the  trade 
school  and  narrow  preparation  for  vocational 
efficiency  alone,  there  is  need  that  we  refresh 
ourselves  with  the  call  of  his  high  aim  "to  make 
the  man  whose  feet  shall  stand  on  God's  earth, 
rooted  fast  in  nature,  while  his  head  towers  up 
to  heaven  and  reads  its  secrets  with  steady  gaze, 
whose  heart  shall  embrace  both  earth  and 
heaven,  shall  enjoy  the  life  of  earth  and  nature 
with  all  its  wealth  of  form  and  at  the  same  time 
shall  recognize  the  purity  and  peace  of  heaven, 
that  unites  in  its  love,  God's  earth  with  God's 
heaven." 

To  this  end  the  publication  of  the  matter 
making  up  the  four  sections  of  this  book  will 
render  valuable  service.  Henrietta  Schrader's 
"Girlhood  Days  at  Keilhau,"  and  Georg 
Ebers'  recollections  of  his  school  days  at  Froe- 
bel's  school,  give  the  personal  touch,  while  the 
selections  from  Dickens  and  Chapman  present 
Froebel's  philosophy  of  education  from  different 
points  of  view. 

P.   P.  CLAXTON. 

Washington,  D.C.,  January  17,  1914. 


PREFACE 


P""       "^HIS  volume    is  the  first  of  a  series 

which   the   National   Kindergarten 

Association  has  undertaken  to  pre- 

JL~         pare  for  the  use  of  teachers  and 

students. 

During  the  three  quarters  of  a  century  which 
spans  the  life  of  the  kindergarten,  book  after 
book  has  made  its  appearance,  its  pages  filled 
with  descriptions  and  interpretations  of  this  or 
that  aspect  of  Froebel's  system  of  education,  and 
we  are  grateful  for  the  steady  output  of  helpful 
and  attractive  literature.  More  numerous,  how- 
ever, than  the  entire  books  on  the  subject  are  the 
significant  single  essays  and  sketches  and  studies 
of  kindergarten  philosophy  and  practice  which 
have  been  contributed  from  time  to  time  by 
well  known  educators  and  writers,  and  which 
have  been  published  in  educational  magazines 
or  records  or  reports. 

Scattered  thus  over  a  wide  range  of  space  and 
time,  this  valuable  literary  material  is  inaccess- 
ible except  to  those  who  live  within  reach  of  the 
large  city  and  university  libraries.  It  is  there- 
fore the  purpose  of  the  National  Kindergarten 
Association  to  gather  such  material  into  per- 


riv  PREFACE 

•  •  .  <9 

manent  and  convenient  form  and  offer  it  to  the 

public.  Such  articles  as  have  been  selected  have 
abiding  value  and  therefore  are  never  out  of 
season. 

The  subsequent  volumes  of  the  series  will  deal 
with  the  Program  or  Course  of  Study  in  the 
Kindergarten:  Kindergarten  Philosophy  and 
Psychology:  The  Kindergarten  and  Society: 
Kindergarten  and  the  Arts:  Games:  Excur- 
sions: Gardening,  and  other  related  topics. 


EDUCATION:   FROEBEL 

Reprinted  by  permission  from  Causes  and  Consequences,  by  John 
Jay  Chapman.  (Moffat,  Yard  &  Co.,  Publishers.) 

I  HAVE  two  boys,  aged  seven  and  four. 
They  required  a  governess  and  I  got  one. 
After  a  couple  of  months,  during  which 
the  usual  experiences  in  the  training  of 
young  children  were  gone  through,  I  discovered 
that  it  was  I  who  was  being  educated.     My 
mind  was  being  swayed  and  drawn  to  a  point  of 
view.     I  was  in  contact  with  a  method  so  pro- 
found that  it  seemed  as  if  I  were  dealing  with, 
or  rather  being  dealt  with  by,  the  forces  of  nature. 
I  was  in  the  presence  of  great  genius.    What  was 
it?    The  text-book  on  Froebel  by  Hughes  in  the 
International   Series   on    Education   made   the 
matter  clear. 

Froebel  was  an  experimental  psychologist 
who  used  the  terms  of  the  German  philosophy 
of  his  day.  But  the  facts  of  life,  the  thing  he  was 
studying,  was  never  for  a  moment  absent  from 
his  mind.  He  lived  in  an  age  when  the  ideas  of 
evolution  were  in  the  air,  and  before  they  had 
received  their  conclusive  proof  by  being  applied 
to  morphology. 


2  EDUCATION:  FROEBEL 

This  application  has  for  a  time  killed  philoso- 
phy, for  it  has  identified  the  new  ideas  with  the 
physical  sciences,  and  led  men  to  study  the 
human  mind  in  psychology  and  from  without, 
whereas  the  mind  and  its  laws  can,  in  the 
nature  of  things,  be  studied  only  through  intro- 
spection. Froebel  had  a  scientific  intellect  of 
the  very  first  caliber;  he  had  the  conception  of 
flux,  of  change,  of  evolution,  to  start  with ;  and 
he  took  up  introspectively  the  study  of  the  laws 
of  the  human  mind,  choosing  that  province  of 
the  universe  where  they  are  most  visibly  and 
typically  exposed, — the  mind  of  the  growing 
child. 

The  "laws"  which  he  states  are  little  more 
than  a  description  of  the  phenomena  that  he 
observed.  They  are  statements  of  the  results  of 
his  experiments,  and  the  language  he  employs 
can  be  translated  to  suit  the  education  of  almost 
any  one.  His  attention  was  so  concentrated 
upon  fact  that  his  terminology  does  not  mislead. 
It  can  be  translated  into  the  language  of  meta- 
physics, of  Christian  theology,  or  of  modern 
science,  and  it  remains  incorruptibly  coherent. 

His  method  of  study  was  the  only  method 
which  can  obtain  results  in  philosophy,  self-study 
unconsciously  carried  on.  He  observed  the  child, 
and  guessed  at  what  was  going  on  in  its  mind  by 
a  comparison  with  what  he  knew  of  himself. 
He  was  anxious  to  train  young  children  intelli- 


EDUCATION:  FROEBEL  3 

gently,  and  he  found  it  necessary  to  describe 
and  formulate  his  knowledge  of  the  operation  of 
their  minds.  It  turns  out  that  he  made  a  state- 
ment of  the  universe  more  comprehensive,  a 
philosophy  more  universal,  than  any  other  of 
which  we  have  any  record. 

But  this  is  not  the  most  important  thing  he 
did.  He  devised  a  method  based  upon  his 
experiments  and  set  agoing  the  kindergarten 
upon  its  course  in  conquest  of  the  world.  If  it 
had  not  been  for  this,  he  might  never  have  been 
heard  of,  for  the  world  has  small  use  for  systems 
of  philosophy,  however  profound,  expressed  in 
terms  which  have  been  superseded  and  are 
become  inexpressive.  But  Froebel  started  a 
practice.  He  showed  the  way.  He  put  in  the 
hands  of  persons  to  whom  his  philosophy  must 
ever  remain  a  mystery,  the  means  of  working 
out  those  practical  ends  for  which  that  philoso- 
phy was  designed. 

The  greatness  of  Froebel  lies  in  this,  that  he 
saw  the  essential.  What  sort  of  an  animal  is 
man?  asks  the  morphologist,  for  he  is  beginning 
to  reach  this  point  in  his  studies;  and  before  he 
has  asked  it,  Froebel  has  answered  him. 

"Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and  sucklings  hast 
thou  ordained  strength." 

It  may  be  said  at  once  that  the  substance  of 
everything  Froebel  says  was  known  before. 
Solomon  and  Orpheus,  Marcus  Aurelius,  Emer- 


4  EDUCATION:  FROEBEL 

son,  and  all  of  us  have  known  it.  Otherwise 
Froebel  would  be  unimportant.  It  is  his  correla- 
tion and  his  formulation  of  the  main  facts  about 
human  life  that  make  him  important.  It  is  as  a 
summary  of  wisdom,  as  a  focus  of  idea,  as  a  lens 
through  which  the  rest  of  the  ideas  in  the  world 
can  be  viewed,  that  he  is  great. 

The  laws  he  discovered  may  be  stated  in  a 
paragraph.  The  child  is  a  growing  organism. 
It  is  a  unity.  It  develops  through  creative 
activity.  It  is  benefited  by  contact  with  other 
children  and  is  happy  in  proportion  as  it  is 
unselfishly  employed. 

Let  us  assume  for  a  moment  that  these  things 
are  true,  that  they  are  the  most  important 
truths  about  the  child ;  and  let  us  see  how  they 
must  affect  our  views  of  life,  of  politics,  sociology, 
art,  religion,  conduct.  There  is  of  course  no 
moment  at  which  the  child  ceases  to  be  a  child. 
The  laws  of  its  growth  and  being  are  not  at  any 
discoverable  time  superseded  by  any  new  laws. 
Man  as  a  creature,  as  an  organism,  has  here  by 
Froebel,  and  for  the  first  time  in  history,  been 
ingenuously  studied,  and  the  main  laws  of  him 
noted.  With  the  discovery  that  he  is  a  unity, 
there  vanishes  every  classification  of  science 
made  since  the  days  of  Aristotle.  They  are 
convenient  dogmas,  thumb  rule  distinctions, 
useful  as  aids  in  the  further  pushing  of  our 
studies  into  the  workings  of  this  unity.  Take 


EDUCATION:  FROEBEL  5 

up  now  a  book  of  political  economy,  a  poem,  a 
history:  this  thought  of  Froebel's  runs  through 
it  like  quicksilver.  The  scheme  of  thought  of 
the  writer  is  by  it  dissolved  at  once  into  human 
elements.  You  find  you  are  studying  the  opera- 
tion of  the  mind  of  some  one,  whom  you  picture 
to  yourself  as  a  man,  as  a  unit;  you  are  inter- 
preting this  by  your  own  experience.  It  is  all 
psychology,  you  are  pushing  your  analysis.  The 
universe  is  receiving  its  interpretation  through 
you  yourself.  We  are  thus  brought  to  the  point 
of  view  of  the  mystic,  as  the  only  conceivable 
point  of  view. 

"That  the  organism  develops  by  creative 
activity."  This  might  have  come  as  a  deduction 
from  Darwin.  It  is  an  expression  in  metaphys- 
ical language  of  the  "struggle  for  life."  Froebel 
discovered  it  independently.  The  consequences 
of  a  belief  in  it  are  so  tremendous,  that  no  man 
who  is  not  prepared  to  spend  the  rest  of  his  life 
completely  dominated  by  the  idea,  ought  even 
to  pause  to  consider  it. 

Your  capacities,  your  beliefs,  your  develop- 
ment, your  spiritual  existence,  are  the  result  of 
what  you  do.  Active  creation  of  some  sort, 
occupation  which  takes  your  entire  attention 
and  calls  upon  you,  merely  incidentally  and  as  a 
matter  of  course,  for  thought,  resource,  individ- 
ual or  original  force;  this  will  develop  you  and 
nothing  else  will. 


6  EDUCATION:  FROEBEL 

The  connection  between  this  thought  and  the 
previous  one  is  apparent.  It  is  only  by  such 
creative  activity  that  the  organism  as  a  unit 
gets  into  play.  If  you  set  a  man  copying  or 
memorizing,  you  have  occupied  only  a  fraction 
of  him.  It  you  set  him  to  making  something, 
the  minute  he  begins,  his  attention  is  concen- 
trated. Willy  nilly  he  is  trying  to  make  some- 
thing significant,  he  is  endeavoring  to  express 
himself,  the  forces  and  powers  within  him  begin 
coming  to  his  succor,  offering  aid  and  suggestion. 
Before  he  knows  it,  his  whole  being  is  in  opera- 
tion. The  result  is  a  statement  of  some  sort, 
and  in  the  process  of  making  it  the  creature  has 
developed.  But  when  you  say  "significant" 
you  have  already  implied  the  existence  of  other 
organisms.  He  is  not  expressing  himself  only, 
he  is  expressing  them  all,  and  here  comes  Froebel 
with  his  third  great  discovery,  that  it  is  by  con- 
stant personal  intercourse  with  others  that  the 
power  to  express  is  gained.  And  on  top  of  this 
comes  the  last  law,  so  closely  related  to  the  third 
as  to  be  merely  a  new  view  of  it,  but  discovered 
by  experiment,  tested  by  practice,  announced 
empirically  and  as  a  fact,  that  the  child  is  un- 
selfish and  only  really  happy  when  at  work 
creatively  and  for  the  use  and  behoof  of  others. 

This  conclusion  throws  back  its  rays  over  the 
course  of  the  argument,  and  we  are  compelled 
to  see,  what  we  have  already  known,  that 


EDUCATION:  FROEBEL  7 

unselfishness  and  intellectual  development  are 
one  and  the  same  thing,  that  there  is  no  failure 
of  intellect  which  cannot  be  expressed  in  terms 
of  selfishness,  and  no  selfishness  that  cannot  be 
expressed  as  intellectual  shortcoming.  Crim- 
inology has  reached  the  same  point  by  another 
route. 

The  matter  is  really  very  simple,  for  anything 
self-regardant  means  a  return  of  the  organism 
upon  itself,  a  stepping  on  your  own  toes,  and 
brings  self-consciousness,  discomfort,  pain.  Self- 
sacrifice  on  the  other  hand  brings  fulfillment. 
The  self-sacrifice  is  always  illusory,  and  the 
development  real.  This  becomes  frightfully 
apparent  in  ingenuous  and  unhappy  love  affairs, 
for  the  organism  robbed  of  fulfillment  returns 
upon  itself. 

It  makes  little  difference  what  province  of 
thought  we  begin  with  in  applying  these  views 
to  the  world.  They  give  results  like  a  table  of 
logarithms.  They  do  more  than  this,  they 
unravel  the  most  complex  situations,  they  give 
the  key  to  conduct  and  put  a  compass  in  the 
hands  of  progress.  They  explain  history,  they 
support  religion,  they  justify  instinct,  they 
interpret  character.  They  give  the  formula  for 
doing  consciously  what  mankind  has  been  doing 
unconsciously  in  so  far  as  it  has  been  doing  what 
any  one  of  us  in  his  soul  approves  of  or  cares  to 
imitate. 


8  EDUCATION:  FROEBEL 

Let  us  take  up  the  most  obvious  deductions. 
If  people  develop  according  to  their  activities, 
their  opinions  will  be  a  mere  reflex  of  their 
conduct.  What  they  see  in  the  world  comes  out 
of  what  they  do  in  the  world.  Here  in  a  mere 
niche  of  Froebel  we  find  the  whole  of  Emerson. 

The  power  and  permanence  of  Sainte-Beuve 
are  due  to  his  having  applied  this  theory  to  the 
interpretation  of  literature.  He  is  not  content 
till  he  has  seen  the  relation  between  the  conduct 
and  the  opinions,  the  conduct  and  the  art  of  a 
character. 

Or  take  Emerson  himself,  why  was  it  that 
being  so  much  he  was  not  more?  How  came  it 
that  after  his  magnificent  prologue  in  the  Phi 
Beta  Kappa  address,  which  is  like  the  opening  of 
a  symphony,  he  relapsed  into  iteration  and 
brilliant  but  momentary  visions  of  his  own 
horizon?  He  kept  repeating  his  theme  till  he 
piped  himself  into  fragmentary  inconsequence. 
The  reason  is  that  he  had  learned  all  he  knew 
before  he  retired  to  Concord  and  contemplation. 
Active  life  would  have  made  him  blossom  annu- 
ally and  last  like  Gladstone. 

Or  take  Goethe:  all  that  is  questionable  in 
him  results  from  his  violation  of  two  of  Froebel's 
laws  of  psychology.  He  fixed  his  attention  upon 
self-development  and  thereby  gradually  ossified. 
Every  moment  of  egotism  was  an  intellectual 
loss.  His  contact  with  people,  meanwhile, 


EDUCATION:  FROEBEL  9 

became  more  and  more  formal  as  he  grew  older, 
and  his  work  more  and  more  inexpressive. 

Give  me  a  man's  beliefs,  and  I  will  give  you 
his  occupation.  What  has  happened  to  that 
radical  that  he  seems  to  have  become  so  moder- 
ate and  reasonable?  You  find  that  for  six 
months  he  has  been  clerk  to  the  Civil  Service 
Reform  Club.  Why  is  the  mystical  poetry  of 
this  intellectual  man  as  vacant  as  the  fashion 
print  he  edits  for  his  daily  bread?  His  employ- 
ment has  tracked  his  mind  to  these  unearthly 
regions.  He  is  dead  here  too. 

There  is  no  such  thing  as  independent  belief, 
based  on  evidence  and  reflection.  The  thing  we 
call  belief  is  a  mere  record  left  by  conduct.  If 
you  sincerely  go  through  the  regimen  of  Loyola's 
manual,  you  will  come  out  a  Jesuit.  You  can  no 
more  resist  it  than  you  can  resist  the  operation 
of  ether.  This  man  is  an  optimist.  It  means 
that  he  has  struggled.  That  man  is  a  pessimist. 
It  means  that  he  has  shirked.  Here  is  one  who 
has  been  in  touch  with  all  movements  for  good 
during  a  dismal  era  of  corruption,  and  yet  he 
has  no  faith.  It  means  that  the  whole  of  him 
has  not  been  enlisted.  His  conscience  has 
drawn  him  forward.  It  is  not  enough.  There 
is  compromise  in  him.  He  is  not  an  absolute 
fighter. 

Here  is  the  most  excellent  gentleman  in 
America,  an  old  idealist  untouchably  transcen- 


10  EDUCATION:  FROEBEL 

dental,  an  educated  man.  To  your  amazement 
he  thinks  that  it  is  occasionally  necessary  to 
subsidize  the  powers  of  evil.  He  was  bred  a 
banker. 

Here  is  a  village  schoolma'am  who  from  a  rag 
of  information  in  a  county  paper  has  divined 
the  true  inwardness  of  a  complicated  controversy 
at  Washington  which  you  happen  to  know  all 
about.  She  has  been  reforming  a  poorhouse. 

A  is  a  clergyman,  good  but  ineffective.  He 
relies  on  beneficence  and  persuasion.  He  does 
not  know  the  world  better  than  a  club  loafer 
knows  it.  The  only  entry  to  it  is  by  attack,  the 
only  progress  by  action. 

B  is  a  good  fellow,  yet  betrays  a  momentary 
want  of  delicacy  which  gives  you  a  shock,  and 
which  you  forgive  him,  saying:  "It  is  a  coarse- 
ness of  natural  fiber."  It  is  no  such  thing. 
There  is  in  every  man  a  natural  fiber  as  fine  as  a 
poet's.  His  coarseness  is  the  residuum  of  an  act. 

You  meet  a  man  whom  you  have  known  as  a 
court  stenographer,  and  whom  you  have  sup- 
posed to  be  drowned  in  worldly  cares.  At  a 
chophouse  he  gives  you  a  discourse  on  Plato's 
Phsedrus,  which  he  interprets  in  a  novel  way. 
The  brains  of  the  man  surprise  you.  This  man, 
though  he  looks  sordid,  positively  must  have 
been  sending  a  younger  brother  to  college  during 
many  years.  There  is  no  other  explanation  of 
him. 


EDUCATION:  FROEBEL  11 

The  nemesis  of  conduct  then  stalks  about  in 
the  form  of  a  natural  law,  not  as  the  pseudo 
science  of  fancy,  but  as  a  mode  of  growth, 
modestly  formulated  by  a  great  naturalist. 

Take  the  matter  up  on  its  other  side.  You 
can  only  discover  in  the  universe,  try  how  you 
will,  strain  your  eyes  how  you  please,  you  can 
only  see  what  you  have  lived.  Out  of  our  ac- 
tivity comes  our  character,  and  it  is  with  this 
that  we  see  beauty  or  ugliness,  hope  or  despair. 
It  is  by  this  that  we  gauge  the  operation  of 
economic  law  and  of  all  other  spiritual  forces. 
It  is  with  this  that  we  interpret  all  things.  What 
we  see  is  only  our  own  lives. 

We  are  all  more  or  less  in  contact  with  human 
life.  We  live  in  a  pandemonium,  a  paradise  of 
illustrations,  and  if  we  have  only  eyes  to  see, 
there  is  enough  in  any  tenement  house  to-day  to 
lay  bare  the  heart  and  progress  of  Greek  art. 

But  the  worst  is  to  come — the  horror  that 
makes  intellect  a  plaything.  By  a  double 
consequence  the  past  fetters  the  future.  Once 
take  any  course  and  our  eyes  begin  to  see  it  as 
right,  our  hearts  to  justify  it.  Only  fighting  can 
save  us,  and  we  see  nothing  to  fight  for.  Thral- 
dom enters,  and  night  like  death  where  no  voice 
reaches.  The  eternal  struggle  is  for  vision. 

How  idiotic  are  the  compliments  or  the 
contempt  of  the  inexperienced!  Nothing  but 
life  teaches.  Hallam  thinks  Juliet  immodest, 


12  EDUCATION:  FROEBEL 

and  he  had  read  all  the  literatures  of  Europe. 
If  you  want  to  understand  the  Greek  civilization 
you  have  got  to  be  Sophocles.  If  you  want  to 
understand  the  New  Testament  you  have  got 
to  be  Christ.  If  you  want  to  understand  that 
most  complex  and  difficult  of  all  things,  the 
present,  you  must  be  some  or  all  of  it,  some  of  it 
any  way.  You  must  have  it  ground  into  you  by 
a  contact  so  wrenchingly  close,  by  a  struggle  so 
severe,  that  you  lose  consciousness,  and  after- 
wards— next  year — you  will  understand. 

Here  is  the  reaction  familiar  to  all  men  since 
the  dawn  of  history,  which  makes  the  man  of 
action  the  hero  of  all  times.  It  goes  in  courage, 
it  comes  out  power. 

This  reaction,  this  transformation,  goes  for- 
ward in  the  very  stuff  that  we  are  made  of,  and 
if  we  come  to  look  at  it  closely,  we  are  obliged  to 
speak  of  it  in  terms  of  consciousness.  There  are 
so  many  different  kinds  of  consciousness  that 
the  best  we  can  do  is  to  remind  some  one  else  of 
the  kind  we  mean.  The  hand  of  the  violinist  is 
unconscious  to  the  extent  that  it  is  functioning 
properly,  and  as  his  command  over  music 
develops  this  unconsciousness  creeps  up  his 
arm  and  possesses  his  brain  and  being,  until  he, 
as  he  plays,  is  completely  wwself-conscious  and 
his  music  is  the  mere  projection  of  an  organism 
which  is  functioning  freely. 

But  this  condition  of  complete  concentration 


EDUCATION:  FROEBEL  13 

makes  us  in  a  different  sense  of  the  word  self- 
conscious  in  the  highest  degree,  self-comprehend- 
ing, self-controlled,  self-expressing.  And  it  is  in 
this  philosophical  sense  that  the  word  self- 
conscious  is  used  by  the  Germans,  and  may 
sometimes  be  conveniently  used  by  us,  if  we  can 
do  so  without  foregoing  the  right  to  use  the 
words  conscious  and  unconscious  in  their  popular 
sense  at  other  times. 

The  discovery  of  Froebel  was  that  this 
mastery  over  our  own  powers  was  to  be  obtained 
only  through  creative  activity.  The  suggestion, 
it  may  be  noted,  is  destined  to  reorganize  every 
school  of  violin  playing  in  Europe.  For  we  have 
here  the  major  canon  of  a  rational  criticism. 
We  find  that  in  the  old  vocabulary  such  words 
as  genius,  temperament,  style,  originality,  etc., 
have  always  been  fumblingly  used  to  denote 
different  degrees  in  which  some  man's  brain  was 
working  freely  and  with  full  self-consciousness. 
A  deliverance  of  this  kind  has  always  been 
designated  as  "creative,' '  no  matter  in  what  field 
it  was  found. 

Approaching  the  matter  more  closely,  we  see 
that  the  whole  of  the  man  must  have  responded 
in  real  life  to  every  particle  of  experience  which 
he  uses  in  his  work.  An  imitation  means  some- 
thing which  does  not  represent  an  original 
unitary  vibration. 

Goethe  puts  in  the  mouth  of  the  mad  Gretchen 


14  EDUCATION:  FROEBEL 

a  snatch  of  German  song  in  imitation  of  Ophelia. 
The  treatment  does  not  fit  the  character.  It 
has  only  been  through  that  part  of  Goethe's 
mind  with  which  he  read  Shakespeare.  As  a 
sequel  to  this  suggestion,  the  peasant  of  the 
early  scenes  has  lavished  upon  her  all  the 
various  reminiscences  of  the  pathetic  that 
Goethe  could  muster.  It  is  moving,  but  it  is 
inorganic.  It  is  not  true. 

For  note  this,  that  while  it  takes  the  whole  of 
a  man  to  do  anything  true,  no  matter  how 
small,  anything  that  the  whole  of  him  does  is 
right.  Hence  the  inimitable  grotesques  of 
greatness,  the  puns  in  tragedy.  These  things 
belong  to  the  very  arcana  of  nature.  By  and  by, 
when  the  reasons  are  understood,  nature  will  be 
respected.  No  one  will  attempt  to  imitate 
genius,  or  to  reproduce  an  artistic  effect  of  any 
kind. 

If  we  look  at  recent  literature  by  the  light  of 
this  canon,  we  find  the  reason  for  its  inferiority. 
It  is  the  work  of  half  minds,  of  men  upon  whose 
intelligence  the  weight  of  a  dogma  is  pressing. 

The  eclipse  of  philosophy  was  of  course 
reflected  in  fiction.  There  is  the  same  trouble 
with  Herbert  Spencer  as  with  Zola.  Each  of 
them  thinks  to  wrest  the  secrets  of  sociology 
from  external  observation.  Their  books  lack 
objectivity  and  are  ephemeral.  Kant  and  Balzac 
did  better  because  their  method  was  truer. 


EDUCATION:  FROEBEL  15 

Everything  good  that  has  been  done  in  the 
last  fifty  years  has  been  done  in  the  teeth  of 
current  science.  The  whole  raft  of  English 
scientists  are  children  playing  with  Raphael's 
brushes  the  moment  they  leave  some  specialty. 
There  never  lived  a  set  of  men  more  blinded  by 
dogma,  blinded  to  the  meaning  of  the  past,  to 
the  trend  of  the  future,  by  the  belief  that  they 
had  found  new  truth.  Not  one  of  them  can  lift 
the  stone  and  show  what  lies  under  Darwin's 
demonstration.  They  run  about  with  little 
pamphlets  and  proclaim  a  New  Universe  like 
Frenchmen.  They  bundle  up  all  beliefs  into  a 
great  Dogma  of  Unbelief,  and  throw  away  the 
kernel  of  life  with  the  shell.  This  was  inevitable. 
A  generation  or  two  was  well  sacrificed,  in  this 
last  fusillade  of  the  Dogma  of  Science — the  old 
guard  dogma  that  dies  but  never  surrenders. 
Hereafter  it  will  be  plain  that  the  whole  matter 
is  a  matter  of  symbols  on  the  one  hand,  knowl- 
edge of  human  nature  on  the  other. 

Herbert  Spencer  has  been  a  useful  church- 
warden to  science,  but  his  knowledge  of  life  was 
so  trifling,  his  own  personal  development  so 
one-sided,  that  his  sociology  is  a  farce. 

This  canon  of  criticism  explains  in  a  very 
simple  manner  the  art  ages,  times  when  appar- 
ently every  one  could  paint,  or  speak,  or  com- 
pose. The  art  which  is  lost  is  really  the  art  of 
courageous  action.  Neither  war  nor  dogma 


16  EDUCATION:  FROEBEL 

nor  revolution  is  necessary,  for  feeling  can  no 
more  be  lost  than  force,  and  the  power  to  express 
it  depends  upon  an  interest  in  life.  The  past 
has  enriched  us  with  conventions,  and  whenever 
a  man  or  a  group  of  men  arises  who  uses  them 
and  is  not  subdued  to  them,  we  have  art.  The 
thing  is  easy.  To  the  doers  it  is  a  mere  knack 
of  the  attention. 

We  had  almost  thought  that  art  was  finished, 
and  we  find  we  are  standing  at  the  beginning  of 
all  things.  Froebel  has  found  a  formula  which 
fits  every  human  activity. 

Let  us  take  the  supreme  case,  the  apogee  of 
human  development,  and  what  will  it  be? 

The  sum  of  all  possible  human  knowledge  is, 
as  we  have  seen,  an  expansion  of  our  under- 
standing of  human  nature,  and  this  is  got  by 
intercourse,  by  dealing  with  men,  by  getting 
them  to  do  something.  In  order  to  make  them 
do  it,  in  order  to  govern,  you  must  understand, 
and  the  rulers  of  mankind  are  the  wisest  of  the 
species.  They  summarize  society.  Solomon, 
Caesar,  Hildebrand,  Lincoln,  Bismarck,  these 
men  knew  their  world. 

But  if  a  virtuous  ruler  be  the  prototype  of  all 
possible  human  fulfillment,  there  is  no  other  art 
or  province  of  employment  to  which  the  same 
views  do  not  apply.  When  any  man  reaps 
some  of  the  power  which  his  toil  has  sown,  and 
throws  it  out  as  a  note  or  a  book  or  a  statue,  it 


EDUCATION:  FROEBEL  17 

has  an  organic  relation  to  the  human  soul  and 
is  valuable  forever.  There  is  only  one  rule  of 
art.  Let  a  man  work  at  a  thing  till  it  looks 
right  to  him.  Let  him  adjust  and  refine  it  till, 
as  he  looks  at  it,  it  passes  straight  into  him,  and 
he  grows  for  a  moment  unconscious  again,  that 
the  forces  which  produced  it  may  be  satisfied. 
As  it  stands  then,  it  is  the  best  he  can  do.  In  so 
far  as  we  completely  develop  this  power  we  be- 
come completely  happy  and  completely  useful,  for 
our  acts,  our  statements,  our  notes,  our  books, 
our  statues,  become  universally  significant. 

Once  feel  this  truth,  and  you  begin  to  lose  the 
sense  of  your  identity,  to  know  that  your 
destiny,  your  self,  is  an  organic  part  of  all  men. 
It  is  they  that  speak.  It  is  themselves  that 
have  been  found  and  expressed.  It  was  this 
toward  which  we  tended,  this  that  we  cared  for 
— action,  art,  intellect,  unselfishness,  are  they 
not  one  thing? 

The  complete  development  of  every  individual 
is  necessary  to  our  complete  happiness.  And 
there  is  no  reason  why  any  one  who  has  ever 
been  to  a  dull  dinner  party  should  doubt  this. 
Nay,  history  gives  proof  that  solitude  is  danger- 
ous. Man  cannot  sing,  nor  write,  nor  paint, 
nor  reform,  nor  build,  nor  do  anything  except 
die,  alone.  The  reasons  for  this  are  showered 
upon  us  by  the  idea  of  Froebel,  no  matter  which 
side  of  it  is  turned  toward  us. 


18  EDUCATION:  FROEBEL 

This  philosophy  which  seemed  so  dry  till  we 
began  to  see  what  it  meant,  begins  now  to  cir- 
cumscribe God  and  include  everything.  For 
Christ  himself  was  one  whose  thoughts  were 
laws  and  whose  deeds  are  universal  truth. 
Shakespeare's  plays  are  universal  truth.  They 
are  the  projection  of  a  completely  developed 
and  completely  unconscious  human  intellect. 
They  educated  Germany,  and  it  is  to  the  study 
of  them  that  Hegel's  view  of  life  is  due.  The 
great  educational  forces  in  the  world  are  propor- 
tioned in  power  to  the  development  of  the 
individual  man  in  the  epochs  they  date  from. 
Here  and  there,  out  of  a  hotbed,  arises  a  personal 
influence  which  directs  thought  for  a  thousand 
years  and  qualifies  time  forever. 

The  division  of  the  old  ethics  into  egoism 
and  altruism  receives  the  sanction  of  science. 
The  turning  of  the  attention  upon  selfish  ends, 
no  matter  how  remote  nor  how  momentary, 
hurts  the  organism,  contracts  the  intellect, 
dries  up  the  emotions,  and  is  felt  as  unhappiness. 
The  turning  of  the  attention  toward  public  aims 
benefits  the  organism,  enlarges  the  intellect, 
and  is  felt  as  happiness.  There  is  no  complexity 
possible,  for  any  mixed  motive  is  a  selfish 
motive. 

All  the  virtues  are  different  names  for  the 
injunction  of  self-mastery,  by  which  the  internal 
struggle  is  made  more  severe,  and  the  force 


EDUCATION:  FROEBEL  19 

cooped  in  and  controlled  until  it  is  released  in 
the  functioning  of  the  whole  man. 

In  any  sincere  struggle  for  right,  then,  no 
matter  how  petty,  we  are  fighting  for  mankind, 
and  this  is  just  what  everybody  has  always 
known,  always  believed. 

It  is  thrown  at  us  as  a  great  paradox,  that 
somebody  must  pay  the  bills;  that  if  you  live 
upon  charity  and  can  succeed  in  getting  yourself 
crucified,  you  are  still  a  mere  product  of  thrift 
and  selfishness  somewhere.  But  the  paradox  is 
the  same  if  put  the  other  way,  for  selfishness 
would  never  support  you. 

The  question  is  purely  one  of  fact,  what  thing 
comes  first,  what  thing  satisfies  the  heart  of 
man.  He  may  support  himself  merely  as  a 
means  to  help  others.  A  man  may  start  a 
pauper  and  die  a  millionaire,  and  yet  never 
think  a  thought  or  do  an  act  which  does  not  add 
to  the  welfare  of  man.  It  is  a  question  of 
ultimate  controlling  intention. 

Man  the  microcosm  is  a  kingdom  where 
reigns  continual  war.  Now  he  is  a  furnace  of 
love,  the  next  moment  he  is  a  mean  scamp.  We 
know  very  little  about  the  mechanism  by  which 
these  microcosms  communicate  with  one  an- 
other. It  seems  likely  that  every  iota  of  feeling 
must  be  either  transmitted  or  transformed; 
that  if  a  spasm  of  selfishness  be  conveyed,  or 
some  part  of  it,  even  by  a  glimpse  of  the  eye,  it 


20  EDUCATION:  FROEBEL 

must  leave  a  record  of  injury  and  start  on  a 
career  of  injury,  just  so  much  loss  to  the  world. 
On  the  other  hand  it  may  be  transformed  into 
the  other  kind  of  force  and  expended  later  in 
good. 

The  thing  is  governed  by  some  simple  law, 
although  man  has  not  yet  been  able  to  reduce 
it  to  algebra.  What  is  most  curious  is  this, 
that  the  tendency  of  any  man  to  believe  in  the 
reaction  as  a  law,  is  not  dependent  upon  his 
scientific  training,  but  upon  his  moral  experience. 
The  best  heads  in  physics  will  still  betray  a 
belief  that  a  man  must  be  able  to  afford  to  be 
unselfish,  that  selfishness  often  does  good,  that 
it  is  a  muddled  up  affair,  and  a  thing  outside  of 
science  which  they  will  get  round  to  later. 
Everybody  sees  a  few  degrees  in  the  arc  of  this 
law.  Read  the  index  on  the  quadrant  and  you 
will  have  his  character.  Now  and  then  some 
saint  swears  he  sees  a  circle. 

Let  us  press  the  inquest.  It  is  not  likely  that 
life  itself  is  duplex  or  consists  of  two  kinds  of 
force,  one  egoistic,  one  altruistic.  The  likelihood 
is  the  other  way.  There  is  only  one  force  which 
vibrates  through  these  organisms.  It  is  abso- 
lutely beneficent  only  when  it  completely  con- 
trols one  of  them,  so  that  the  whole  thing 
sings  together. 

This  music  is  the  highest,  but  the  notes  that 
go  to  make  it  up  are  everywhere.  Altruism 


EDUCATION:  FROEBEL  21 

does  not  arise,  is  not  imposed  from  without,  at 
any  period  or  by  any  crisis,  by  progress  or  by 
society.  The  spiral  unwinds  with  the  unwind- 
ing life  upon  the  globe.  It  is  the  form  of  illusion 
under  which  all  life  proceeds.  It  is  the  law  of 
mind.  The  eye  treats  space  and  color  as  entities. 
It  cannot  see  on  any  other  terms.  The  stomach 
digests  food,  but  not  its  own  lining.  We  are 
obliged  to  think  in  terms  of  the  objective 
universe.  We  are  not  wholesome  unless  we  are 
self-forgetting.  There  is  no  cranny  in  all  the 
million  manifestations  of  nature  where  you  can 
interfere  between  the  organism  and  its  object 
without  representing  disease. 

And  man  is  more  than  a  mere  altruistic 
animal.  At  least  the  religions  of  Humanity 
have  never  expressed  him.  At  those  times 
when  he  is  entirely  unselfish  and  therefore 
entirely  himself,  when  he  feels  himself  to  be  one 
single  well-spring,  all  unselfishness,  all  love,  all 
reverence,  all  service  to  something  not  himself, 
yet  something  personal,  he  has  faith.  The 
theologies  are  attempts  to  formulate  this  state  of 
mind  in  order  that  it  may  be  preserved.  It  is 
clear  enough  that  every  mind  must  speak  in  its 
own  symbols,  and  that  the  symbols  of  one  must 
always  appear  to  another  as  illusions.  Yet  each 
man  for  himself  knows  he  faces  a  reality.  This 
is  a  psychological  necessity.  Destroy  the  belief, 
and  on  the  instant  he  changes.  Show  him  that 


22  EDUCATION:  FROEBEL 

he  is  the  victim  of  an  illusion,  and  he  is  divided, 
a  half  man.  A  man  whose  mind  is  divided,  as, 
for  instance,  by  the  consciousness  of  a  personal 
motive,  cannot  believe.  He  stands  like  the 
wicked  king  in  the  play  of  Hamlet;  unable  to 
pray.  It  is  a  psychological  impossibility. 

The  concern  of  mankind  for  their  forms  of 
doctrine  is  gratuitous.  Faith  re-appears  under 
new  names.  You  cannot  convince  a  lover  that 
he  is  bent  on  self-development,  nor  any  decent 
man  that  he  does  not  believe  in,  is  not  controlled 
by,  something  higher  than  himself.  The  question 
is  not  one  of  words. 

We  may  trace  this  reverent  attitude  of  mind 
upward  through  the  acts  and  activities  of  the 
spirit,  and  it  makes  no  difference  whether  we 
regard  religion  as  the  source  and  origin  of  them 
all  or  as  the  summary  of  them  all. 

In  Shakespeare's  plays  we  see  a  cycle  of 
human  beings,  the  most  living  that  we  have 
ever  met  with,  and  the  absence  of  mystical  or 
emotional  religion  from  many  of  the  plays  is  one 
of  the  wonders  of  nature.  There  is  no  God  any- 
where, and  God  is  everywhere;  we  are  not 
offended.  The  reason  may  be  that  the  element 
has  been  employed  in  the  act  of  creation. 
Religion  has  been  consumed  in  the  development 
of  character.  It  is  felt  in  the  relation  of  Shake- 
speare to  the  characters.  It  is  here  seen  as 
artistic  perfection.  The  same  is  true  of  the 


EDUCATION:  FROEBEL  23 

Greek  statues  and  of  the  Sistine  Sibyls,  and  of 
other  work  left  by  those  two  periods,  the  only 
other  periods  in  which  the  individual  attained 
completion. 

Observe  that  in  all  this  philosophy  there  is  no 
dogma  anywhere,  no  term  whose  definition  you 
have  to  learn,  no  term  which  makes  the  lying 
claim  that  it  can  be  used  twice  with  the  same 
connotation.  Froebel  had  the  instinct  of  a  poet 
and  knew  his  language  was  figurative.  It  was 
this  that  freed  him  from  the  Middle  Ages  and 
gave  him  to  the  future.  He  took  theology  as 
lightly  as  he  took  metaphysics.  He  did  not 
impose  them,  he  evoked  them.  He  lived  and 
thought  in  the  spirit. 

If  you  turn  from  Froebel's  analysis  of  human 
nature  to  Goethe's,  there  seem  to  be  a  thousand 
years  between  them.  The  one  is  scientific,  the 
other  is  mediaeval.  The  one  has  freed  himself 
from  the  influences  of  the  revival  of  learning, 
the  other  has  not.  The  one  is  open,  the  other  is 
closed.  The  one  is  free,  the  other  is  self-con- 
scious. But  Froebel  has  not  yet  set  free  the 
rest  of  the  race,  and  of  course  the  literature  and 
practices  of  the  kindergartners  are  full  of  dogmas. 
The  terms  of  Froebel  are  a  snare  to  those  whose 
interest  in  childhood  came  later  than  their 
interest  in  education  and  whose  attention  is 
fixed  upon  the  terms  rather  than  upon  the  child. 
He  is  easy  reading  to  the  other  sort. 


24  EDUCATION:  FROEBEL 

But  more  important  than  Froebel's  formu- 
lation of  these  great  truths  was  his  formulation 
of  subsidiary  truths.  I  do  not  mean  his  labored 
systems,  but  his  practical  suggestions  born  of 
experience  as  to  how  to  help  another  person  to 
develop.  It  was  these  methods,  this  attitude  of 
the  teacher  towards  the  child,  of  the  individual 
towards  his  fellow,  that  came  at  me  in  my 
own  house  unexpectedly,  emanating  from  some 
unknown  mind,  which  seemed  so  great  as 
practically  to  include  Christianity. 

"Do  not  imagine,"  he  says  at  every  moment, 
"that  you  can  do  anything  for  this  creature 
except  by  getting  it  to  move  spontaneously. 
You  have  not  begun  till  you  have  done  this,  and 
remember  that  anything  else  you  do  is  just  so 
much  harm." 

He  was  never  tired  of  suggesting  devices  for 
doing  this.  The  following  passage  gives  in  a 
few  words  the  answer  to  the  most  important 
practical  question  in  life:  how  we  ought  to 
approach  another  human  being.  The  thing  is 
said  so  simply,  it  seems  almost -commonplace, 
yet  it  comes  from  one  greater  than  Kant. 

"Between  educator  and  pupil,  between  re- 
quest and  obedience,  there  should  invisibly  rule 
a  third  something  to  which  educator  and  pupil 
are  equally  subject.  This  third  something  is  the 
right,  the  best,  necessarily  conditioned  and  ex- 
pressed without  arbitrariness  in  the  circum- 


EDUCATION:  FROEBEL  25 

stances.  The  calm  recognition,  the  clear 
knowledge,  and  the  serene,  cheerful  obedience 
to  the  rule  of  this  third  something,  is  the  par- 
ticular feature  that  should  be  constantly  and 
clearly  manifest  in  the  bearing  and  the  conduct 
of  the  educator  and  teacher,  and  often  firmly 
and  sternly  emphasized  by  him." 

Beneath  this  statement  there  lies  a  law  of 
reaction.  The  human  organism  responds  in 
kind.  Strike  a  man  and  he  strikes,  sneer  and  he 
sneers,  forget  and  he  forgets.  If  you  wish  to 
convince  him  that  you  are  right,  concede  that 
from  his  point  of  view  he  is  right,  then  move 
the  point  and  he  follows.  If  you  keep  your 
temper  in  teaching  a  child,  you  teach  him  to 
keep  his  temper,  and  this  is  more  important 
than  his  lesson. 

The  difficulty  we  find  is  to  resist  the  reaction 
in  ourselves  to  some  one  else's  initiative.  The 
affair  is  outside  the  province  of  reason,  and 
results  from  a  transfer  of  force  by  means  which 
we  do  not  understand.  The  command  to  "turn 
the  other  cheek"  is  a  picturesque  figure  for  the 
attitude  which  will  enable  you  to  prevail  the 
quickest  and  by  the  highest  means,  and  which 
Froebel  enables  us  to  see  in  its  scientific  aspect. 

But  it  is  unnecessary  to  illustrate  further 
what  any  one  who  comes  in  contact  with  a 
kindergarten  will,  through  all  the  mists  of 
dogma  and  ignorance  which  overspread  the 


26  EDUCATION:  FROEBEL 

place,  discover  for  himself.  We  have  a  science 
founded  upon  human  nature,  applied  to  educa- 
tion. Mr.  Hughes  in  his  closing  paragraph 
uses  the  language  of  theology,  but  he  makes  no 
overstatement : — 

"When  Froebel's  ethical  teaching  has  wrought 
its  perfect  work  in  the  homes,  the  schools,  and 
the  churches,  then  his  complete  ideal,  which  is 
the  gospel  ideal  in  practice,  will  be  the  greatest 
controlling  and  uplifting  force  in  the  world." 

One  word  more  about  the  relation  between 
Froebel's  thought  and  current  science. 

The  view  of  man  as  an  active  animal,  a 
struggler,  alive  and  happy  only  in  activity,  falls 
in  naturally  with  what  we  know  of  the  animal 
kingdom.  The  philosophers  are  at  war  over 
science  and  religion,  over  the  origin  of  the  non- 
self-regarding  instincts.  By  an  external  con- 
sideration of  the  animal  hierarchy  they  have 
come  to  certain  conclusions  which  they  strive  to 
apply  to  the  highest  animal,  man.  There  is 
great  boggling  over  him,  because  these  non- 
self-regarding  instincts,  which  are  not  very 
apparent  from  the  outside,  seem  to  conflict 
with  certain  generalizations  relative  to  the 
conservation  of  species.  The  scientists  look 
into  a  drop  of  water  and  see  animals  eating 
each  other  up.  What  they  have  not  seen  is  that 
all  this  ferocity  goes  forward,  subject  to  customs 
as  rigid  as  a  military  code,  and  that  it  is  this 


EDUCATION:  FROEBEL  27 

code  which  conserves  the  species.  The  "struggle 
for  existence"  as  it  is  commonly  conceived 
would  exterminate  in  short  order  any  species 
that  indulged  in  it. 

Meanwhile  Froebel,  beginning  at  the  other 
end  of  the  scale  and  studying  life  from  the 
inside,  has  established  certain  facts,  certain 
laws,  which  have  as  great  a  weight,  and  deserve 
as  much  to  be  carried  downward  in  the  scale,  as 
the  generalizations  of  the  naturalists  (very  likely 
imperfect)  have  to  be  carried  upward. 

The  animal  man  is  unselfish.  It  is  impossible 
to  make  his  organism  vibrate  as  a  unity  except 
by  some  emotion  which  can  be  shown  to  be  non- 
self-regarding.  At  what  point  in  the  scale  of 
nature  does  this  quality  begin  to  manifest 
itself?  Is  the  dog  happy  when  he  is  selfish:  do 
the  laws  of  psychology  outlined  by  Froebel 
apply,  and  to  what  extent  do  they  apply,  to  the 
horse  or  the  monkey?  These  things  must  be 
patiently  studied,  and  the  corrections  must  be 
made.  In  the  mean  time,  in  dealing  with  man 
himself,  we  are  obliged  to  rely  upon  the  latest 
scientific  report  of  him,  however  imperfect,  and 
until  Froebel's  laws  are  destroyed,  we  need  not 
attempt  to  adjust  our  ideas  of  man  to  the 
dogmas  developed  by  the  study  of  the  lower 
animals. 


IN  KEILHAU 

Reprinted  by  permission  from  The  Story  of  my  Life,  by  Georg 
Ebera. 

KEILHAU!  How  much  is  comprised 
in  that  one  short  word ! 
It  recalls  to  my  memory  the 
pure  happiness  of  the  fairest  period 
of  boyhood,  a  throng  of  honored,  beloved,  and 
merry  figures,  and  hundreds  of  stirring,  bright. 
and  amusing  scenes  in  a  period  of  life  rich  in 
instruction  and  amusement,  as  well  as  the  stage 
so  lavishly  endowed  by  Nature  on  which  they 
were  performed.  Jean  Paul  has  termed  melan- 
choly the  blending  of  joy  and  pain,  and  it  was 
doubtless  a  kindred  feeling  which  filled  my 
heart  in  the  days  before  my  departure,  and 
induced  me  to  be  particularly  good  and  obliging 
to  everybody  in  the  house.  My  mother  took  us 
once  more  to  my  father's  grave  in  the  Drei- 
faltigkeits  cemetery,  where  I  made  many  good 
resolutions.  Only  the  best  reports  should  reach 
home  from  Keilhau,  and  I  had  already  obtained 
excellent  ones  in  Berlin. 

On  the  evening  of  our  departure  there  were 
numerous  kisses  and  farewell  glances  at  all  that 
was  left  behind;  but  when  we  were  seated  in  the 


IN  KEILHAU  29 

car  with  my  mother,  rushing  through  the  land- 
scape adorned  with  the  most  luxuriant  spring 
foliage,  my  heart  suddenly  expanded,  and  the 
pleasure  of  travel  and  delight  in  the  many  new 
scenes  before  me  destroyed  every  other  feeling. 
The  first  vineyard  I  saw  at  Naumburg — I  had 
long  forgotten  those  on  the  Rhine — interested 
me  deeply;  the  Rudelsburg  at  Kosen,  the  ruins 
of  a  real  ancient  castle,  pleased  me  no  less  be- 
cause I  had  never  heard  Franz  Kugler's  song: 

"Beside  the  Saale's  verdant  strand 
Once  stood  full  many  a  castle  grand, 
But  roofless  ruins  are  they  all ; 
The  wind  sweeps  through  from  hall  to  hall; 
Slow  drift  the  clouds  above," 

which  refers  to  this  charming  part  of  the  Thu- 
ringian  hill  country.  We  were  soon  to  learn  to 
sing  it  at  Keilhau.  Weimar  was  the  first  goal  of 
this  journey.  We  had  heard  much  of  our  classic 
poets;  nay,  I  knew  Schiller's  Bell  and  some  of 
Goethe's  poems  by  heart,  and  we  had  heard 
them  mentioned  with  deep  reverence.  Now  we 
were  to  see  their  home,  and  a  strange  emotion 
took  possession  of  me  when  we  entered  it. 

Every  detail  of  this  first  journey  has  remained 
stamped  on  my  memory.  I  even  know  what  we 
ordered  for  supper  at  the  hotel  where  we  spent 
the  night.  But  my  mother  had  a  severe  head- 
ache, so  we  saw  none  of  the  sights  of  Weimar 


30  IN  KEILHAU 

except  the  Goethe  house  in  the  city  and  the  other 
one  in  the  park.  I  cannot  tell  what  my  feelings 
were,  they  are  too  strongly  blended  with  later 
impressions.  I  only  know  that  the  latter  espe- 
cially seemed  to  me  very  small.  I  had  imagined 
the  "Goethe  House"  like  the  palace  of  the 
Prince  of  Prussia  or  Prince  Radziwill  in  Wilhelm- 
strasse.  The  Grand  Duke's  palace,  on  the 
contrary,  appeared  aristocratic  and  stately.  We 
looked  at  it  very  closely,  because  it  was  the 
birthplace  of  the  Princess  of  Prussia,  of  whom 
Fraulein  Lamperi  had  told  us  so  much. 

The  next  morning  my  mother  was  well  again. 
The  railroad  connecting  Weimar  and  Rudolstadt, 
near  which  Keilhau  is  located,  was  built  long 
after,  so  we  continued  our  journey  in  an  open 
carriage  and  reached  Rudolstadt  about  noon. 

After  we  had  rested  a  short  time,  the  carriage 
which  was  to  take  us  to  Keilhau  drove  up. 

As  we  were  getting  in,  an  old  gentleman  ap- 
proached, who  instantly  made  a  strong  impres- 
sion upon  me.  In  outward  appearance  he  bore  a 
marked  resemblance  to  Wilhelm  Grimm.  I 
should  have  noticed  him  among  hundreds;  for 
long  gray  locks,  parted  in  the  middle,  floated 
around  a  nobly  formed  head,  his  massive  yet 
refined  features  bore  the  stamp  of  a  most  kindly 
nature,  and  his  eyes  were  the  mirror  of  a  pure, 
childlike  soul.  The  rare  charm  of  their  sunny 
sparkle,  when  his  warm  heart  expanded  to 


IN   KEILHAU  31 

pleasure  or  his  keen  intellect  had  succeeded  in 
solving  any  problem,  comes  back  vividly  to  my 
memory  as  I  write,  and  they  beamed  brightly 
enough  when  he  perceived  our  companion. 
They  were  old  acquaintances,  for  my  mother  had 
been  to  Keilhau  several  times  on  Martin's  ac- 
count. She  addressed  him  by  the  name  of 
Middendorf,  and  we  recognized  him  as  one  of 
the  heads  of  the  institute,  of  whom  we  had  heard 
many  pleasant  things. 

He  had  driven  to  Rudolstadt  with  the  "old 
bay,"  but  he  willingly  accepted  a  seat  .in  our  car- 
riage. 

We  had  scarcely  left  the  street  witfi  the  hotel 
behind  us,  when  he  began  to  speak  of  Schiller, 
and  pointed  out  the  mountain  which  bore  his 
name  and  to  which  in  his  "Walk"  he  had  cried: 

"Hail!    oh  my  Mount,  with  radiant  crimson 
peak." 

Then  he  told  us  of  the  Lengefeld  sisters,  whom 
the  poet  had  so  often  met  here,  and  one  of  whom, 
Charlotte,  afterward  became  his  wife.  All  this 
was  done  in  a  way  which  had  no  touch  of  peda- 
gogy or  of  anything  specially  prepared  for  chil- 
dren, yet  every  word  was  easily  understood  and 
interested  us.  Besides,  his  voice  had  a  deep, 
musical  tone,  to  which  my  ear  was  susceptible  at 
an  early  age.  He  understood  children  of  our 
disposition  and  knew  what  pleased  them. 


32  IN   KEILHAU 

In  Schaale,  the  first  village  through  which  we 
passed,  he  said,  pointing  to  the  stream  which 
flowed  into  the  Saale  close  by:  "Look,  boys, 
now  we  are  coming  into  our  own  neighborhood, 
the  valley  of  the  Schaal.  It  owes  its  name  to 
this  brook,  which  rises  in  our  own  meadows,  and 
I  suppose  you  would  like  to  know  why  our  village 
is  called  Keilhau?" 

While  speaking,  he  pointed  up  the  stream  and 
briefly  described  its  course. 

We  assented. 

We  had  passed  the  village  of  Schaale.  The  one 
before  us,  with  the  church,  was  called  Eichfeld, 
and  at  our  right  was  another  which  we  could  not 
see,  Lichtstadt.  In  ancient  times,  he  told  us,  the 
mountain  sides  and  the  bottom  of  the  whole 
valley  had  been  clothed  with  dense  oak  forests. 
Then  people  came  who  wanted  to  till  the  ground. 
They  began  to  clear  (lichten)  these  woods  at 
Lichtstadt.  This  was  a  difficult  task,  and  they 
had  used  axes  (Keile)  for  the  purpose.  At 
Eichfeld  they  felled  the  oaks  (Eiche),  and  carried 
the  trunks  to  Schaale,  where  the  bark  (Schale) 
was  stripped  off  to  make  tan  for  the  tanners  on 
the  Saale.  So  the  name  of  Lichtstadt  came  from 
the  clearing  of  the  forests,  Eichfeld  from  the  felling 
of  the  oaks,  Schaale  from  stripping  off  the  bark, 
and  Keilhau  from  the  hewing  with  axes. 

This  simple  tale  of  ancient  times  had  sprung 
from  the  Thuringian  soil,  so  rich  in  legends,  and, 


IN  KEILHAU  33 

little  as  it  might  satisfy  the  etymologist,  it  de- 
lighted me.  I  believed  it,  and  when  afterward  I 
looked  down  from  a  height  into  the  valley  and 
saw  the  Saale,  my  imagination  clothed  the  bare 
or  pine-clad  mountain  slopes  with  huge  oak  for- 
ests, and  beheld  the  giant  forms  of  the  ancient 
Thuringians  felling  the  trees  with  their  heavy 
axes. 

The  idea  of  violence  which  seemed  to  be  con- 
nected with  the  name  of  Keilhau  had  suddenly 
disappeared.  It  had  gained  meaning  to  me, 
and  Herr  Middendorf  had  given  us  an  excellent 
proof  of  a  fundamental  requirement  of  Friedrich 
Froebel,  the  founder  of  the  institution:  "The 
external  must  be  spiritualized  and  given  an  inner 
significance." 

The  same  talented  pedagogue  had  said,  "Our 
education  associates  instruction  with  the  external 
world  which  surrounds  the  human  being  as  child 
and  youth";  and  Middendorf  carried  out  this 
precept  when,  at  the  first  meeting,  he  questioned 
us  about  the  trees  and  bushes  by  the  wayside, 
and  when  we  were  obliged  to  confess  our  igno- 
rance of  most  of  them,  he  mentioned  their  names 
and  described  their  peculiarities. 

At  last  we  reached  the  Keilhau  plain,  a  bowl 
whose  walls  formed  tolerably  high  mountains 
which  surrounded  it  on  all  sides  except  toward 
Rudolstadt,  where  an  opening  permitted  the 
Schaalbach  to  wind  through  meadows  and  fields. 


34  IN  KEILHAU 

So  the  village  lies  like  an  egg  in  a  nest  open  in  one 
direction,  like  the  beetle  in  the  calyx  of  a  flower 
which  has  lost  one  of  its  leaves.  Nature  has 
girded  it  on  three  sides  with  protecting  walls 
which  keep  the  wind  from  entering  the  valley, 
and  to  this,  and  the  delicious,  crystal-clear  water 
which  flows  from  the  mountains  into  the  pumps, 
its  surprising  healthfulness  is  doubtless  due. 
During  my  residence  there  of  four  and  a  half 
years  there  was  no  epidemic  disease  among  the 
boys,  and  on  the  fiftieth  jubilee  of  the  institute, 
in  1867,  which  I  attended,  the  statement  was 
made  that  during  the  half  century  of  its  existence 
only  one  pupil  had  died,  and  he  had  had  heart 
disease  when  his  parents  sent  him  to  the  school. 

We  must  have  arrived  on  Sunday,  for  we  met 
on  the  road  several  peasants  in  long  blue  coats, 
and  peasant  women  in  dark  cloth  cloaks  with 
gold-embroidered  borders,  and  little  black  caps 
from  which  ribbons  three  or  four  feet  long  hung 
down  the  wearers'  backs.  The  cloaks  descended 
from  mother  to  daughter.  They  were  very 
heavy,  yet  I  afterward  saw  peasant  women  wear 
them  to  church  in  summer. 

At  last  we  drove  into  the  broad  village  street. 
At  the  right,  opposite  to  the  first  houses,  lay  a 
small  pond  called  the  village  pool,  on  which  ducks 
and  geese  floated,  and  whose  'dark  surface, 
glittering  with  many  hues,  reflected  the  shep- 
herd's hut.  After  we  had  passed  some  very  fine 


IN  KEILHAU  35 

farmhouses,  we  reached  the  "Plan,"  where 
bright  waters  plashed  into  a  stone  trough,  a 
linden  tree  shaded  the  dancing-ground,  and  a 
pretty  house  was  pointed  out  as  the  schoolhouse 
of  the  village  children. 

A  short  distance  farther  away  the  church  rose 
in  the  background.  But  we  had  no  time  to  look 
at  it,  for  we  were  already  driving  up  to  the 
institute  itself,  which  was  at  the  end  of  the 
village,  and  consisted  of  two  rows  of  houses  with 
an  open  space  closed  at  the  rear  by  the  wide 
front  of  a  large  building. 

The  bakery,  a  small  dwelling,  and  the  large 
gymnasium  were  at  our  left;  on  the  right,  the  so- 
called  Lower  House,  with  the  residences  of  the 
head-masters'  families,  and  the  school  and  sleep- 
ing-rooms of  the  smaller  pupils,  whom  we  dubbed 
the  "  Panzen,"  and  among  whom  were  boys  only 
eight  and  nine  years  old. 

The  large  house  before  whose  central  door — to 
which  a  flight  of  stone  steps  led — we  stopped, 
was  the  Upper  House,  our  future  home. 

Almost  at  the  same  moment  we  heard  a  loud 
noise  inside,  and  an  army  of  boys  came  rushing 
down  the  steps.  These  were  the  "pupils,"  and 
my  heart  began  to  throb  faster. 

They  gathered  around  the  Rudolstadt  carriage 
boldly  enough  and  stared  at  us.  I  noticed  that 
almost  all  were  bareheaded.  Many  wore  their 
hair  falling  in  long  locks  down  their  backs.  The 


36  IN   KEILHAU 

few  who  had  any  coverings  used  black  velvet 
caps,  such  as  in  Berlin  would  be  seen  only  at  the 
theater  or  in  an  artist's  studio. 

Middendorf  had  stepped  quickly  among  the 
lads,  and  as  they  came  running  up  to  take  his 
hand  or  hang  on  his  arm  we  saw  how  they  loved 
him. 

But  we  had  little  time  for  observation. 
Barop,  the  head-master,  was  already  hastening 
down  the  steps,  welcoming  my  mother  and  our- 
selves with  his  deep,  musical  tones,  in  a  pure 
Westphalian  dialect. 

Entering  the  Institute. 

Barop's  voice  sounded  so  sincere  and  cordial 
that  it  banished  every  thought  of  fear,  otherwise 
his  appearance  might  have  inspired  boys  of  our 
age  with  a  certain  degree  of  timidity,  for  he  was 
a  broad-shouldered  man  of  gigantic  stature,  who, 
like  Middendorf,  wore  his  gray  hair  parted  in  the 
middle,  though  it  was  cut  somewhat  shorter.  A 
pair  of  dark  eyes  sparkled  under  heavy,  bushy 
brows,  which  gave  them  the  aspect  of  clear 
springs  shaded  by  dense  thickets.  They  now  gazed 
kindly  at  us,  but  later  we  were  to  learn  their 
irresistible  power.  I  have  said,  and  I  still  think, 
that  the  eyes  of  the  artist,  Peter  Cornelius,  are 
the  most  forceful  I  have  ever  seen,  for  the  very 
genius  of  art  gazed  from  them.  Those  of  our 
Barop  produced  no  weaker  influence  in  their 


IN  KEILHAU  37 

way,  for  they  revealed  scarcely  less  impressively 
the  character  of  a  man.  To  them,  especially, 
was  due  the  implicit  obedience  that  every  one 
rendered  him.  When  they  flashed  with  indigna- 
tion the  defiance  of  the  boldest  and  most  re- 
fractory quailed.  But  they  could  sparkle 
cheerily,  too,  and  whoever  met  his  frank,  kindly 
gaze  felt  honored  and  uplifted. 

Earnest,  thoroughly  natural,  able,  strong, 
reliable,  rigidly  just,  free  from  any  touch  of 
caprice,  he  lacked  no  quality  demanded  by  his 
arduous  profession,  and  hence  he  whom  even 
the  youngest  addressed  as  "Barop"  never  failed 
for  an  instant  to  receive  the  respect  which  was 
his  due,  and,  moreover,  had  from  us  all  the 
voluntary  gift  of  affection,  nay,  of  love.  He 
was,  I  repeat,  every  inch  a  man. 

When  very  young,  the  conviction  that  the 
education  of  German  boys  was  his  real  calling 
obtained  so  firm  a  hold  upon  his  mind  that  he 
could  not  be  dissuaded  from  giving  up  the  study 
of  the  law,  in  which  he  had  made  considerable 
progress  at  Halle,  and  devoting  himself  to 
pedagogy. 

His  father,  a  busy  lawyer,  had  threatened  him 
with  disinheritance  if  he  did  not  relinquish  his 
intention  of  accepting  the  by  no  means  brilliant 
position  of  a  teacher  at  Keilhau ;  but  he  remained 
loyal  to  his  choice,  though  his  father  executed 
his  threat  and  cast  him  off.  After  the  old  gentle- 


38  IN  KEILHAU 

man's  death  his  brothers  and  sisters  voluntarily 
restored  his  portion  of  the  property,  but,  as  he 
himself  told  me  long  after,  the  quarrel  with  one 
so  dear  to  him  saddened  his  life  for  years.  For 
the  sake  of  the  "fidelity  to  one's  self"  which  he 
required  from  others  he  had  lost  his  father's  love, 
but  he  had  obeyed  a  resistless  inner  voice,  and 
the  genuineness  of  his  vocation  was  to  be 
brilliantly  proved. 

Success  followed  his  efforts,  though  he  assumed 
the  management  of  the  Keilhau  Institute  under 
the  most  difficult  circumstances. 

Beneath  its  roof  he  had  found  in  the  niece  of 
Friedrich  Froebel  a  beloved  wife,  peculiarly 
suited  both  to  him  and  to  her  future  position. 
She  was  as  little  as  he  was  big,  but  what  energy, 
what  tireless  activity  this  dainty,  delicate 
woman  possessed !  To  each  one  of  us  she  showed 
a  mother's  sympathy,  managed  the  whole  great 
household  down  to  the  smallest  details,  and 
certainly  neglected  nothing  in  the  care  of  her 
own  sons  and  daughters. 

A  third  master,  the  archdeacon  Langethal, 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  institution,  but 
had  left  it  several  years  before. 

As  I  mention  him  with  the  same  warmth  that 
I  speak  of  Middendorf  and  Barop,  many  readers 
will  suspect  that  this  portion  of  my  reminis- 
cences contains  a  receipt  for  favors,  and  that 
reverence  and  gratitude,  nay,  perhaps  the  fear 


IN  KEILHAU  39 

of  injuring  an  institution  still  existing,  induces 
me  to  show  only  the  lights  and  cover  the  shad- 
ows with  the  mantle  of  love. 

I  will  not  deny  that  a  boy  from  eleven  to  fifteen 
years  readily  overlooks  in  those  who  occupy  an 
almost  paternal  relation  to  him  faults  which 
would  be  immediately  noted  by  the  unclouded 
eyes  of  a  critical  observer ;  but  I  consider  myself 
justified  in  describing  what  I  saw  in  my  youth 
exactly  as  it  impressed  itself  on  my  memory.  I 
have  never  perceived  the  smallest  flaw  or  even  a 
trait  or  act  worthy  of  censure  in  either  Barop, 
Middendorf,  or  Langethal.  Finally,  I  may  say 
that,  after  having  learned  in  later  years  from 
abundant  data  willingly  placed  at  my  disposal 
by  Johannes  Barop,  our  teacher's  son  and  the 
present  master  of  the  institute,  the  most  minute 
details  concerning  their  character  and  work, 
none  of  these  images  have  sustained  any  ma- 
terial injury. 

In  Friedrich  Froebel,  the  real  founder  of  the 
institute,  who  repeatedly  lived  among  us  for 
months,  I  have  learned  to  know  from  his  own 
works  and  the  comprehensive  amount  of  litera- 
ture devoted  to  him,  a  really  talented  idealist, 
who  on  the  one  hand  cannot  be  absolved  from  an 
amazing  contempt  for  or  indifference  to  the 
material  demands  of  life,  and  on  the  other 
possessed  a  certain  artless  selfishness  which 
gave  him  courage,  whenever  he  wished  to  pro- 


40  IN  KEILHAU 

mote  objects  undoubtedly  pure  and  noble,  to 
deal  arbitrarily  with  other  lives,  even  where  it 
could  hardly  redound  to  their  advantage.  I 
shall  have  more  to  say  of  him  later. 

The  source  of  Middendorf's  greatness  in  the 
sphere  where  life  and  his  own  choice  had  placed 
him  may  even  be  imputed  to  him  as  a  fault.  He, 
the  most  enthusiastic  of  all  Froebel's  disciples, 
remained  to  his  life's  end  a  lovable  child,  in 
whom  the  powers  of  a  rich  poetic  soul  surpassed 
those  of  the  thoughtful,  well-trained  mind.  He 
would  have  been  ill-adapted  for  any  practical 
position,  but  no  one  could  be  better  suited  to 
enter  into  the  soul-life  of  young  human  beings, 
cherish  and  ennoble  them. 

A  deeper  insight  into  the  lives  of  Barop  and 
Langethal  taught  me  to  prize  these  men  more 
and  more. 

They  have  all  rested  under  the  sod  for  decades, 
and  though  their  institute,  to  which  I  owe  so 
much,  has  remained  dear  and  precious,  and  the 
years  I  spent  in  the  pleasant  Thuringian  moun- 
tain valley  are  numbered  among  the  fairest  in 
my  life,  I  must  renounce  making  proselytes  for 
the  Keilhau  Institute,  because  when  I  saw  its 
present  head  for  the  last  time,  as  a  very  young 
man,  I  heard  from  him,  to  my  sincere  regret, 
that,  since  the  introduction  of  the  law  of  military 
service,  he  found  himself  compelled  to  make  the 
course  of  study  at  Rudolstadt  conform  to  the 


IN  KEILHAU  41 

system  of  teaching  in  a  Realschule.*  He  was 
forced  to  do  so  in  order  to  give  his  graduates  the 
certificate  for  the  one  year's  military  service. 

The  classics,  formerly  held  in  such  high  esteem 
beneath  its  roof,  must  now  rank  below  the 
sciences  and  modern  languages,  which  are  re- 
garded as  most  important.  But  love  for  Ger- 
many and  the  development  of  German  character, 
which  Froebel  made  the  foundation  of  his 
method  of  education,  are  too  deeply  rooted  there 
ever  to  be  extirpated.  Both  are  as  zealously 
fostered  in  Keilhau  now  as  in  former  years. 

After  a  cordial  greeting  from  Barop,  we  had 
desks  assigned  us  in  the  schoolroom,  which  were 
supplied  with  piles  of  books,  writing  materials, 
and  other  necessaries.  Ludo's  bed  stood  in  the 
same  dormitory  with  mine.  Both  were  hard 
enough,  but  this  had  not  damped  our  gay  spirits, 
and  when  we  were  taken  to  the  other  boys  we 
were  soon  playing  merrily  with  the  rest. 

The  first  difficulty  occurred  after  supper,  and 
proved  to  be  one  of  the  most  serious  I  encoun- 
tered during  my  stay  in  the  school. 

My  mother  had  unpacked  our  trunks  and  ar- 
ranged everything  in  order.  Among  the  articles 
were  some  which  were  new  to  the  boys,  and 
special  notice  was  attracted  by  several  pairs  of 
kid  gloves  and  a  box  of  pomade  which  belonged 

*  School  in  which  the  arts  and  sciences  as  well  as  the 
languages  are  taught. — TR. 


42  IN  KEILHAU 

in  our  pretty  leather  dressing-case,  a  gift  from 
my  grandmother. 

Dandified,  or,  as  we  should  now  term  them, 
"dudish"  affairs,  were  not  allowed  at  Keilhau; 
so  various  witticisms  were  made  which  culmi- 
nated when  a  pupil  of  about  our  own  age  from 
a  city  on  the  Weser  called  us  Berlin  pomade-pots. 
This  vexed  me,  but  a  Berlin  boy  always  has  an 
answer  ready,  and  mine  was  defiant  enough. 
The  matter  might  have  ended  here  had  not  the 
same  lad  stroked  my  hair  to  see  how  Berlin 
pomade  smelt.  From  a  child  nothing  has  been 
more  unendurable  than  to  feel  a  stranger's  hand 
touch  me,  especially  on  the  head,  and,  before  I 
was  aware  of  it,  I  had  dealt  my  enemy  a  resound- 
ing slap.  Of  course,  he  instantly  rushed  at  me, 
and  there  would  have  been  a  violent  scuffle  had 
not  the  older  pupils  interfered.  If  we  wanted  to 
do  anything,  we  must  wrestle.  This  suited  my 
antagonist,  and  I,  too,  was  not  averse  to  the 
contest,  for  I  had  unusually  strong  arms,  a 
well-develcped  chest,  and  had  practiced  wres- 
tling in  the  Berlin  gymnasium. 

The  struggle  began  under  the  direction  of  the 
older  pupils,  and  the  grip  on  which  I  had  relied 
did  not  fail.  It  consisted  in  clutching  the  an- 
tagonist just  above  the  hips.  If  the  latter  were 
not  greatly  my  superior,  and  I  could  exert  my 
whole  strength  to  clasp  him  to  me,  he  was  lost. 
This  time  the  clever  trick  did  its  duty,  and  my 


IN   KEILHAU  43 

adversary  was  speedily  stretched  on  the  ground. 
I  turned  my  back  on  him,  but  he  rose,  panting 
breathlessly,  "It's  like  a  bear  squeezing  one." 
In  reply  to  every  question  from  the  older  boys 
who  stood  around  us  laughing,  he  always  made 
the  same  answer,  "Like  a  bear." 

I  had  reason  to  remember  this  very  common 
incident  in  boy  life,  for  it  gave  me  the  nickname 
used  by  old  and  young  till  after  my  departure. 
Henceforward  I  was  always  called  "the  bear." 
Last  year  I  had  the  pleasure  of  receiving  a  visit 
from  Dr.  Bareuther,  a  member  of  the  Austrian 
Senate  and  a  pupil  of  Keilhau.  We  had  not  met 
for  forty  years,  and  his  first  words  were:  "Look 
at  me,  Bear.  Who  am  I?" 

My  brother  had  brought  his  nickname  with 
him,  and  everybody  called  him  Ludo  instead  of 
Ludwig.  The  pretty,  bright,  agile  lad,  who  also 
never  flinched,  soon  became  especially  popular, 
and  my  companions  were  also  fond  of  me,  as  I 
learned,  when,  during  the  last  years  of  my  stay 
at  the  institute,  they  elected  me  captain  of  the 
first  Bergwart — that  is,  commander-in-chief  of 
the  whole  body  of  pupils. 

My  first  fight  secured  my  position  forever. 
We  doubtless  owed  our  initiation  on  the  second 
day  into  everything  which  was  done  by  the 
pupils,  both  openly  and  secretly,  to  the  good 
impression  made  by  Martin.  There  was  nothing 
wrong,  and  even  where  mischief  was  concerned 


44  IN   KEILHAU 

I  can  term  it  to-day  "harmless."  The  new  boys 
or  "foxes"  were  not  neglected  or  "hazed,"  as  in 
many  other  schools.  Only  every  one,  even  the 
newly  arrived  younger  teachers,  was  obliged  to 
submit  to  the  "initiation."  This  took  place  in 
winter,  and  consisted  in  being  buried  in  the  snow 
and  having  pockets,  clothing,  nay,  even  shirts, 
filled  with  the  clean  but  wet  mass.  Yet  I  remem- 
ber no  cold  caused  by  this  rude  baptism.  My 
mother  remained  several  days  with  us,  and  as 
the  weather  was  fine  she  accompanied  us  to  the 
neighboring  heights — the  Kirschberg,  to  which, 
after  the  peaceful  cemetery  of  the  institute  was 
left  behind,  a  zigzag  path  led;  the  Kolm,  at 
whose  foot  rose  the  Upper  House;  and  the 
Steiger,  from  whose  base  flowed  the  Schaalbach, 
and  whose  summit  afforded  a  view  of  a  great 
portion  of  the  Thuringian  Mountains. 

We  older  pupils  afterwards  had  a  tall  tower 
erected  there  as  a  monument  to  Barop,  and  the 
prospect  from  its  lofty  summit,  which  is  more 
than  a  thousand  feet  high,  is  magnificent. 

Even  before  the  completion  of  this  lookout, 
the  view  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
widest  far  or  near,  and  we  were  treated  like  most 
newcomers.  During  the  ascent  our  eyes  were 
bandaged,  and  when  the  handkerchief  was 
removed  a  marvelous  picture  appeared  before 
our  astonished  gaze.  In  the  foreground,  toward 
the  left,  rose  the  wooded  height  crowned  by  the 


IN  KEILHAU  45 

stately  ruins  of  the  Blankenburg.  Beyond 
opened  the  beautiful  leafy  bed  of  the  Saale, 
proudly  dominated  by  the  Leuchtenburg.  Be- 
fore us  there  was  scarcely  any  barrier  to  the 
vision ;  for  behind  the  nearer  ranges  of  hills  one 
chain  of  the  wooded  Thuringian  Mountains 
towered  beyond  another,  and  where  the  horizon 
seemed  to  close  the  grand  picture,  peak  after 
peak  blended  with  the  sky  and  the  clouds,  and 
the  light  veil  of  mist  floating  about  them  seemed 
to  merge  all  into  an  indivisible  whole. 

I  have  gazed  from  this  spot  into  the  distance 
at  every  hour  of  the  day  and  season  of  the  year. 
But  the  fairest  time  of  all  on  the  Steiger  was  at 
sunset,  on  clear  autumn  days,  when  the  scene 
close  at  hand,  where  the  threads  of  gossamer 
were  floating,  was  steeped  in  golden  light,  the 
distance  in  such  exquisite  tints — from  crimson 
to  the  deepest  violet  blue,  edged  with  a  line  of 
light — the  Saale  glimmered  with  a  silvery  luster 
amid  its  fringe  of  alders,  and  the  sun  flashed  on 
the  glittering  panes  of  the  Leuchtenburg. 

We  were  now  old  enough  to  enjoy  the  magnifi- 
cence of  this  prospect.  My  young  heart  swelled 
at  the  sight;  and  if  in  after  years  my  eyes  could 
grasp  the  charm  of  a  beautiful  landscape  and  my 
pen  successfully  describe  it,  I  learned  the  art  here. 

It  was  pleasant,  too,  that  my  mother  saw  all 
this  with  us,  though  she  must  often  have  gone  to 
rest  very  much  wearied  from  her  rambles.  But 


46  IN   KEILHAU 

teachers  and  pupils  vied  with  each  other  in  atten- 
tions to  her.  She  had  won  all  hearts.  We 
noticed  and  rejoiced  in  it  till  the  day  came  when 
she  left  us. 

She  was  obliged  to  start  very  early  in  the 
morning,  in  order  to  reach  Berlin  the  same 
evening.  The  other  boys  were  not  up,  but 
Barop,  Middendorf,  and  several  other  teachers 
had  risen  to  take  leave  of  her.  A  few  more 
kisses,  a  wave  of  her  handkerchief,  and  the 
carriage  vanished  in  the  village.  Ludo  and  I 
were  alone,  and  I  vividly  remember  the  moment 
when  we  suddenly  began  to  weep  and  sob  as 
bitterly  as  if  it  had  been  an  eternal  farewell. 
How  often  one  human  being  becomes  the  sun  of 
another's  life!  And  it  is  most  frequently  the 
mother  who  plays  this  beautiful  part. 

Yet  the  anguish  of  parting  did  not  last  very 
long,  and  whoever  had  watched  the  boys  playing 
ball  an  hour  later  would  have  heard  our  voices 
among  the  merriest.  Afterwards  we  rarely  had 
attacks  of  homesickness,  there  were  so  many  new 
things  in  Keilhau,  and  even  familiar  objects 
seemed  changed  in  form  and  purpose. 

From  the  city  we  were  in  every  sense  trans- 
ferred to  the  woods. 

True,  we  had  grown  up  in  the  beautiful  park 
of  the  Thiergarten,  but  only  on  its  edge ;  to  live 
in  and  with  Nature,  "become  one  with  her,"  as 
Middendorf  said,  we  had  not  learned. 


IN  KEILHAU  47 

I  once  read  in  a  novel  by  Jensen,  as  a  well- 
attested  fact,  that  during  an  inquiry  made  in  a 
charity  school  in  the  capital  a  considerable 
number  of  pupils  had  never  seen  a  butterfly  or 
a  sunset.  We  were  certainly  not  to  be  classed 
among  such  children.  But  our  intercourse  with 
Nature  had  been  limited  to  formal  visits  which 
we  were  permitted  to  pay  the  august  lady  at 
stated  intervals.  In  Keilhau  she  became  a 
familiar  friend,  and  we  therefore  were  soon 
initiated  into  many  of  her  secrets;  for  none 
seemed  to  be  withheld  from  our  Middendorf  and 
Barop,  whom  duty  and  inclination  alike 
prompted  to  sharpen  our  ears  also  for  her 
language. 

The  Keilhau  games  and  walks  usually  led  up 
the  mountains  or  into  the  forest,  and  here  the 
older  pupils  acted  as  teachers,  but  not  in  any 
pedagogical  way.  Their  own  interest  in  what- 
ever was  worthy  of  note  in  Nature  was  so  keen 
that  they  could  not  help  pointing  it  out  to  their 
less  experienced  companions. 

On  our  "picnics"  from  Berlin  we  had  taken 
dainty  mugs  in  order  to  drink  from  the  wells; 
now  we  learned  to  seek  and  find  the  springs 
themselves,  and  how  delicious  the  crystal  fluid 
tastes  from  the  hollow  of  the  hand,  Diogenes's 
drinking-cup! 

Old  Councillor  Wellmer,  in  the  Cred6  House, 
in  Berlin,  a  zealous  entomologist,  owned  a  large 


48  IN  KEILHAU 

collection  of  beetles,  and  had  carefully  impaled 
his  pets  on  long  slender  pins  in  neat  boxes, 
which  filled  numerous  glass  cases.  They  lacked 
nothing  but  life.  In  Keilhau  we  found  every 
variety  of  insect  in  central  Germany,  on  the 
bushes  and  in  the  moss,  the  turf,  the  bark  of 
trees,  or  on  the  flowers  and  blades  of  grass,  and 
they  were  alive  and  allowed  us  to  watch  them. 
Instead  of  neatly  written  labels,  living  lips  told 
us  their  names. 

We  had  listened  to  the  notes  of  the  birds  in  the 
Thiergarten;  but  our  mother,  the  tutor,  the 
placards,  our  nice  clothing,  prohibited  our 
following  the  feathered  songsters  into  the 
thickets.  But  in  Keilhau  we  were  allowed  to 
pursue  them  to  their  nests.  The  woods  were 
open  to  every  one,  and  nothing  could  injure  our 
plain  jackets  and  stout  boots.  Even  in  my 
second  year  at  Keilhau  I  could  distinguish  all  the 
notes  of  the  numerous  birds  in  the  Thuringian 
forests,  and,  with  Ludo,  began  the  collection  of 
eggs  whose  increase  afforded  us  so  much  pleasure. 
Our  teachers'  love  for  all  animate  creation  had 
made  them  impose  bounds  on  the  zeal  of  the 
egg-hunters,  who  were  required  always  to  leave 
one  egg  in  the  nest,  and  if  it  contained  but  one 
not  to  molest  it.  How  many  trees  we  climbed, 
what  steep  cliffs  we  scaled,  through  what  crevices 
we  squeezed  to  add  a  rare  egg  to  our  collection; 
nay,  we  even  risked  our  limbs  and  necks!  Life 


IN  KEILHAU  49 

is  valued  so  much  less  by  the  young,  to  whom  it 
is  brightest,  and  before  whom  it  still  stretches  in 
a  long  vista,  than  by  the  old,  for  whom  its 
charms  are  already  beginning  to  fade,  and  who 
are  near  its  end. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  afternoon  when,  sup- 
plied with  ropes  and  poles,  we  went  to  the  Owl 
Mountain,  which  originally  owed  its  name  to 
Middendorf,  because  when  he  came  to  Keilhau 
he  noticed  that  its  rocky  slope  served  as  a  home 
for  several  pairs  of  horned  owls.  Since  then  their 
numbers  had  increased,  and  for  some  time  larger 
night  birds  had  been  flying  in  and  out  of  a 
certain  crevice. 

It  was  still  the  laying  season,  and  their  nests 
must  be  there.  Climbing  the  steep  precipice 
was  no  easy  task,  but  we  succeeded,  and  were 
then  lowered  from  above  into  the  crevice.  At 
that  time  we  set  to  work  with  the  delight  of 
discoverers,  but  now  I  frown  when  I  consider 
that  those  who  let  first  the  daring  Albrecht  von 
Calm,  of  Brunswick,  and  then  me  into  the  chasm 
by  ropes  were  boys  of  thirteen  or  fourteen  at  the 
utmost.  Marbod,  my  companion's  brother, 
was  one  of  the  strongest  of  our  number,  and  we 
were  obliged  to  force  our  way  like  chimney 
sweeps  by  pressing  our  hands  and  feet  against 
the  walls  of  the  narrow  rough  crevice.  Yet  it 
now  seems  a  miracle  that  the  adventure  resulted 
in  no  injury.  Unfortunately,  we  found  the 


50  IN  KEILHAU 

young  birds  already  hatched,  and  were  compelled 
to  return  with  our  errand  unperformed.  But  we 
afterward  obtained  such  eggs,  and  their  form  is 
more  nearly  ball-shape  than  that  seen  in  those 
of  most  other  birds.  We  knew  how  the  eggs  of 
all  the  feathered  guests  of  Germany  were  colored 
and  marked,  and  the  chest  of  drawers  contain- 
ing our  collection  stood  for  years  in  my  mother's 
attic.  When  I  inquired  about  it  a  few  years  ago, 
it  could  not  be  found,  and  Ludo,  who  had  helped 
in  gathering  it,  lamented  its  loss  with  me. 

FRIED  RICH  FROEBEL'S  IDEAL  OF  EDUCATION 

Dangerous  enterprises  were  of  course  forbid- 
den, but  the  teachers  of  the  institute  neglected 
no  means  of  training  our  bodies  to  endure  every 
exertion  and  peril;  for  Froebel  was  still  alive, 
and  the  ideal  of  education,  for  whose  realization 
he  had  established  the  Keilhau  school,  had 
become  to  his  assistants  and  followers  strong 
and  healthy  realities.  But  Froebel's  purpose  did 
not  require  the  culture  of  physical  strength. 
His  most  marked  postulates  were  the  preserva- 
tion and  development  of  the  individuality  of  the 
boys  intrusted  to  his  care,  and  their  training  in 
German  character  and  German  nature;  for  he 
beheld  the  sum  of  all  the  traits  of  higher,  purer 
manhood  united  in  those  of  the  true  German.* 


*What  he  terms   "German"  in  his  writings    means 
manly  and  human  in  its  higher  sense. 


IN  KEILHAU  51 

Love  for  the  heart,  strength  for  the  character, 
seemed  to  him  the  highest  gifts  with  which  he 
could  endow  his  pupils  for  life. 

He  sought  to  rear  the  boy  to  unity  with  him- 
self, with  God,  with  Nature,  and  with  mankind, 
and  the  way  led  to  trust  in  God  through  religion, 
trust  in  himself  by  developing  the  strength  of 
mind  and  body,  and  confidence  in  mankind — 
that  is,  in  others,  by  active  relations  with  life 
and  a  loving  interest  in  the  past  and  present 
destinies  of  our  fellow-men.  This  required  an 
eye  and  heart  open  to  our  surroundings,  socia- 
bility, and  a  deeper  insight  into  history.  Here 
Nature  seems  to  be  forgotten.  But  Nature 
comes  into  the  category  of  religion,  for  to  him 
religion  means:  To  know  and  feel  at  one  with 
ourselves,  with  God,  and  with  man;  to  be  loyal 
to  ourselves,  to  God,  and  to  Nature;  and  to  re- 
main in  continual  active,  living  relations  with 
God. 

The  teacher  must  lead  the  pupils  to  men  as 
well  as  to  God  and  Nature,  and  direct  them 
from  action  to  perception  and  thought.  For 
action  he  takes  special  degrees,  capacity,  skill, 
trustworthiness;  for  perception,  consciousness, 
insight,  clearness.  Only  the  practical  and 
clear-sighted  man  can  maintain  himself  as  a 
thinker,  opening  out  as  a  teacher  new  trains 
of  thought,  and  comprehending  the  basis  of 


52  IN  KEILHAU 

what  is  already  acquired  and  the  laws  which 
govern  it. 

Froebel  wishes  to  have  the  child  regarded  as  a 
bud  on  the  great  tree  of  life,  and  therefore  each 
pupil  needs  to  be  considered  individually,  devel- 
oped mentally  and  physically,  fostered  and 
trained  as  a  bud  on  the  huge  tree  of  the  human 
race.  Even  as  a  system  of  instruction,  education 
ought  not  to  be  a  rigid  plan,  incapable  of  mod- 
ification; it  should  be  adapted  to  the  individu- 
ality of  the  child,  the  period  in  which  it  is  growing 
to  maturity,  and  its  environment.  The  child 
should  be  led  to  feel,  work,  and  act  by  its  own 
experiences  in  the  present  and  in  its  home,  not 
by  the  opinions  of  others  or  by  fixed,  prescribed 
rules.  From  independent,  carefully  directed 
acts  and  knowledge,  perceptions,  and  thoughts, 
the  product  of  this  education  must  come  forth — 
a  man,  or,  as  it  is  elsewhere  stated,  a  thorough 
German.  At  Keilhau  he  is  to  be  perfected, 
converted  into  a  finished  production  without 
a  flaw.  If  the  institute  has  fulfilled  its  duty  to 
the  individual,  he  will  be : 

To  his  native  land,  a  brave  son  in  the  hour  of 
peril,  in  the  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  and  sturdy 
strength. 

To  the  family,  a  faithful  child  and  a  father  who 
will  secure  prosperity. 

To  the  state,  an  upright,  honest,  industrious 
citizen. 


IN  KEILHAU  53 

To  the  army,  a  clear-sighted,  strong,  healthy, 
brave  soldier  and  leader. 

To  the  trades,  arts,  and  sciences,  a  skilled  helper, 
an  active  promoter,  a  worker  accustomed  to 
thorough  investigation,  who  has  grown  to 
maturity  in  close  intercourse  with  Nature. 

To  Jesus  Christ,  a  faithful  disciple  and  brother; 
a  loving,  obedient  child  of  God. 

To  mankind,  a  human  being  according  to  the 
image  of  God,  and  not  according  to  that  of  a 
fashion  journal. 

No  one  is  reared  for  the  drawing-room;  but 
where  there  is  a  drawing-room  in  which  mental 
gifts  are  fostered  and  truth  finds  an  abode,  a 
true  graduate  of  Keilhau  will  be  an  ornament. 
"  No  instruction  in  bowing  and  tying  cravats  is 
necessary;  people  learn  that  only  too  quickly," 
said  Froebel. 

The  right  education  must  be  a  harmonious 
one,  and  must  be  thoroughly  in  unison  with  the 
necessary  phenomena  and  demands  of  human 
life. 

Thus  the  Keilhau  system  of  education  must 
claim  the  whole  man,  his  inner  as  well  as  his  outer 
existence.  Its  purpose  is  to  watch  the  nature  of 
each  individual  boy,  his  peculiarities,  traits, 
talents,  above  all,  his  character,  and  afford  to  all 
the  necessary  development  and  culture.  It 
follows  step  by  step  the  development  of  the 
human  being,  from  the  almost  instinctive 


54  IN  KEILHAU 

impulse  to  feeling,  consciousness,  and  will.  At 
each  one  of  these  steps  each  child  is  permitted  to 
have  only  what  he  can  bear,  understand,  and 
assimilate,  while  at  the  same  time  it  serves  as  a 
ladder  to  the  next  higher  step  of  development 
and  culture.  In  this  way  Froebel,  whose  own 
notes,  collected  from  different  sources,  we  are 
here  following,  hopes  to  guard  against  a  defective 
or  misdirected  education;  for  what  the  pupil 
knows  and  can  do  has  sprung,  as  it  were,  from 
his  own  brain.  Nothing  has  been  learned,  but 
developed  from  within.  Therefore  the  boy  who 
is  sent  into  the  world  will  understand  how  to  use 
it,  and  possess  the  means  for  his  own  further 
development  and  perfection  from  step  to  step. 
Every  human  being  has  a  talent  for  some 
calling  or  vocation,  and  strength  for  its  develop- 
ment. It  is  the  task  of  the  institute  to  cultivate 
the  powers  which  are  especially  requisite  for  the 
future  fulfillment  of  the  calling  appointed  by 
Nature  herself.  Here,  too,  the  advance  must  be 
step  by  step.  Where  talent  or  inclination  lead, 
every  individual  will  be  prepared  to  deal  with 
even  the  greatest  obstacles,  and  must  possess 
even  the  capacity  to  represent  externally  what 
has  been  perceived  and  thought — that  is,  to 
speak  and  write  clearly  and  accurately — for  in 
this  way  the  intellectual  power  of  the  individual 
will  first  be  made  active  and  visible  to  others. 
We  perceive  that  Froebel  strongly  antagonizes 


IN  KEILHAU  55 

the  Roman  postulate  that  knowledge  should  be 
imparted  to  boys  according  to  a  thoroughly 
tested  method  and  succession  approved  by  the 
mature  human  intellect,  and  which  seem  most 
useful  to  it  for  later  life. 

The  systematic  method  which,  up  to  the  time 
of  Pestalozzi,  prevailed  in  Germany,  and  is 
again  embodied  in  our  present  mode  of  educa- 
tion, seemed  to  him  objectionable.  The  Swiss 
reformer  pointed  out  that  the  mother's  heart 
had  instinctively  found  the  only  correct  system 
of  instruction,  and  set  before  the  pedagogue  the 
task  of  watching  and  cultivating  the  child's 
talents  with  maternal  love  and  care.  He  utterly 
rejected  the  old  system,  and  Froebel  stationed 
himself  as  a  fellow-combatant  at  his  side,  but 
went  still  further.*  This  stand  required  a  high 
degree  of  courage  at  the  time  of  the  founding  of 
Keilhau,  when  Hegel's  influence  was  omnipotent 
in  educational  circles,  for  Hegel  set  before  the 
school  the  task  of  imparting  culture,  and  forgot 
that  it  lacked  the  most  essential  conditions;  for 
the  school  can  give  only  knowledge,  while  true 
education  demands  a  close  relation  between  the 
person  to  be  educated  and  the  world  from  which 


*  Pestalozzi  seemed  to  him  in  too  great  haste  to  fit  the 
child  for  practical  life.  His  mind  should  first  lie  before 
the  teacher  like  an  open  book,  and  the  instruction  should 
then  relate  to  whatever  most  warmly  interested  the 
pupil.  After  this  was  mastered,  progress  should  first  be 
made  step  by  step. 


56  IN  KEILHAU 

the  school,  as  Hegel  conceived  it,  is  widely 
sundered. 

Froebel  recognized  that  the  extent  of  the 
knowledge  imparted  to  each  pupil  was  of  less 
importance,  and  that  the  school  could  not  be  ex- 
pected to  bestow  on  each  individual  a  thor- 
oughly completed  education,  but  an  intellect  so 
well  trained  that  when  the  time  came  for  him  to 
enter  into  relations  with  the  world  and  higher 
instructors  he  would  have  at  his  disposal  the 
means  to  draw  from  both  that  form  of  culture 
which  the  school  is  unable  to  impart.  He  there- 
fore turned  his  back  abruptly  on  the  old  system, 
denied  that  the  main  object  of  education  was  to 
meet  the  needs  of  after-life,  and  opposed  having 
the  interests  of  the  child  sacrificed  to  those  of  the 
man;  for  the  child  in  his  eyes  is  sacred,  an 
independent  blessing  bestowed  upon  him  by 
God,  towards  whom  he  has  the  one  duty  of 
restoring  to  those  who  confided  it  to  him  in  a 
higher  degree  of  perfection,  with  unfolded  mind 
and  soul,  and  a  body  and  character  steeled 
against  every  peril.  "A  child,"  he  says,  "who 
knows  how  to  do  right  in  his  own  childish  sphere, 
will  grow  naturally  into  an  upright  manhood." 

With  regard  to  instruction,  his  view,  briefly 
stated,  is  as  follows:  The  boy  whose  special  tal- 
ents are  carefully  developed,  to  whom  we  give 
the  power  of  absorbing  and  reproducing  every- 
thing which  is  connected  with  his  talent,  will 


IN  KEILHAU  57 

know  how  to  assimilate,  by  his  own  work  in  the 
world  and  wider  educational  advantages,  every- 
thing which  will  render  him  a  perfect  and 
thoroughly  educated  man.  With  half  the 
amount  of  preliminary  knowledge  in  the  province 
of  his  specialty,  the  boy  or  youth  dismissed  by  us 
as  a  harmoniously  developed  man,  to  whom  we 
have  given  the  methods  requisite  for  the  acquisi- 
tion of  all  desirable  branches  of  knowledge,  will 
accomplish  more  than  his  intellectual  twin  who 
has  been  trained  according  to  the  ideas  of  the 
Romans  (and,  let  us  add,  Hegel). 

I  think  Froebel  is  right.  If  his  educational 
principles  were  the  common  property  of  man- 
kind, we  might  hope  for  a  realization  of  Jean 
Paul's  prediction  that  the  world  would  end  with 
a  child's  paradise.  We  enjoyed  a  foretaste  of 
this  paradise  in  Keilhau.  But  when  I  survey 
our  modern  gymnasia  I  am  forced  to  believe 
that  if  they  should  succeed  in  equipping  their 
pupils  with  still  greater  numbers  of  rules  for  the 
future,  the  happiness  of  the  child  would  be 
wholly  sacrificed  to  the  interests  of  the  man, 
and  the  life  of  this  world  would  close  with  the 
birth  of  overwise  graybeards.  I  might  well  be 
tempted  to  devote  still  more  time  to  the  educa- 
tional principles  of  the  man  who,  from  the  depths 
of  his  full,  warm  heart,  addressed  to  parents 
the  appeal,  "Come,  let  us  live  for  our  children," 
but  it  would  lead  me  beyond  the  allotted  limits. 


58  IN  KEILHAU 

Many  of  Froebel's  pedagogical  principles  un- 
doubtedly appear  at  first  sight  a  pallid  theorem, 
partly  a  matter  of  course,  partly  impracticable. 
During  our  stay  in  Keilhau  we  never  heard  of 
these  claims,  concerning  which  we  pupils  were 
the  subject  of  experiment.  Far  less  did  we  feel 
that  we  were  being  educated  according  to  any 
fixed  method.  We  perceived  very  little  of  any 
form  of  government.  The  relation  between 
us  and  our  teachers  was  so  natural  and 
affectionate  that  it  seemed  as  if  no  other  was 
possible. 

Yet,  when  I  compared  our  life  at  Keilhau  with 
the  principles  previously  mentioned,  I  found 
that  Barop,  Middendorf,  and  old  Langethal,  as 
well  as  the  sub-teachers  Bagge,  Budstedt,  and 
Schaffner,  had  followed  them  in  our  education, 
and  succeeded  in  applying  many  of  those  which 
seemed  the  most  difficult  to  carry  into  execution. 
This  filled  me  with  sincere  admiration,  though 
I  soon  perceived  that  it  could  have  been  done 
only  by  men  in  whom  Froebel  had  transplanted 
his  ideal,  men  who  were  no  less  enthusiastic 
concerning  their  profession  than  he,  and  whose 
personality  predestined  them  to  solve  success- 
fully tasks  which  presented  difficulties  almost 
unconquerable  by  others. 

Every  boy  was  to  be  educated  according  to  his 
peculiar  temperament,  with  special  regard  to  his 
disposition,  talents,  and  character.  Although 


IN  KEILHAU  59 

there  were  sixty  of  us,  this  was  actually  done  in 
the  case  of  each  individual. 

Thus  the  teachers  perceived  that  the  endow- 
ments of  my  brother,  with  whom  I  had  hitherto 
shared  everything,  required  a  totally  different 
system  of  education  from  mine.  While  I  was  set 
to  studying  Greek,  he  was  released  from  it  and 
assigned  to  modern  languages  and  the  arts  and 
sciences.  They  considered  me  better  suited  for 
a  life  of  study,  him  qualified  for  some  practical 
calling  or  a  military  career. 

Even  in  the  tasks  allotted  to  each,  and  the 
opinions  passed  upon  our  physical  and  mental 
achievements,  there  never  was  any  fixed  stand- 
ard. These  teachers  always  kept  in  view  the 
whole  individual,  and  especially  his  character. 
Thereby  the  parents  of  a  Keilhau  pupil  were  far 
better  informed  in  many  respects  than  those  of 
our  gymnasiasts,  who  so  often  yield  to  the 
temptation  of  estimating  their  sons'  work  by  the 
greater  or  less  number  of  errors  in  their  Latin 
exercises. 

It  afforded  me  genuine  pleasure  to  look 
through  the  Keilhau  reports.  Each  contained 
a  description  of  character,  with  a  criticism  of  the 
work  accomplished,  partly  with  reference  to  the 
pupil's  capacity,  partly  to  the  demands  of  the 
school.  Some  are  little  masterpieces  of  psy- 
chological penetration. 

Many    of    those  who    have  followed    these 


60  IN   KEILHAU 

statements  will  ask  how  the  German  nature 
and  German  character  can  be  developed  in  the 
boys. 

It  was  thoroughly  done  in  Keilhau. 

But  the  solution  of  the  problem  required  men 
like  Langethal  and  Middendorf,  who,  ,even  in 
their  personal  appearance  models  of  German 
strength  and  dignity,  had  fought  for  their  native 
land,  and  who  were  surpassed  in  depth  and 
warmth  of  feeling  by  no  man. 

I  repeat  that  what  Froebel  termed  German 
was  really  the  higher  traits  of  human  character ; 
but  nothing  was  more  deeply  imprinted  on  our 
souls  than  love  for  our  native  land.  Here  the 
young  voices  not  only  extolled  the  warlike  deeds 
of  the  brave  Prussians,  but  recited  with  equal 
fervor  all  the  songs  with  which  true  patriotism 
has  inspired  German  poets.  Perhaps  this 
delight  in  Germanism  went  too  far  in*  many 
respects;  it  fostered  hatred  and  scorn  of  every- 
thing "foreign,"  and  was  the  cause  of  the  long 
hair,  and  cap,  pike,  and  broad  shirt  collar  worn  by 
many  a  pupil.  Yet  their  number  was  not  very 
large,  and  Ludo,  our  most  intimate  friends,  and 
I  never  joined  them. 

Barop  himself  smiled  at  their  "Teutonism" 
but  indulged  it,  and  it  was  stimulated  by  some 
of  the  teachers,  especially  the  magnificent 
Zeller,  so  full  of  vigor  and  joy  in  existence.  I 
can  still  see  the  gigantic  young  Swiss,  as  he 


IN  KEILHAU  61 

made  the  pines  tremble  with  his  "Odin,  Odin, 
death  to  the  Romans!" 

One  of  the  pupils,  Count  zur  Lippe,  whose 
name  was  Hermann,  was  called  "Arminius,"  in 
memory  of  the  conqueror  of  Varus.  But  these 
were  external  things. 

On  the  other  hand,  how  vividly,  during  the 
history  lesson,  Langethal,  the  old  warrior  of 
1813,  described  the  course  of  the  conflict  for 
liberty! 

Friedrich  Froebel  had  also  pronounced  esteem 
for  manual  labor  to  be  genuinely  and  originally 
German,  and  therefore  each  pupil  was  assigned 
a  place  where  he  could  wield  spades  and  pickaxes, 
roll  stones,  sow,  and  reap. 

These  occupations  were  intended  to  strengthen 
the  body,  according  to  Froebel's  rules,  and 
absorbed  the  greater  part  of  the  hours  not 
devoted  to  instruction. 

Midway  up  the  Dissauberg  was  the  spacious 
wrestling-ground  with  the  shooting-stand,  and 
in  the  courtyard  of  the  institute  the  gymnasium 
for  every  spare  moment  of  the  winter.  There 
fencing  was  practiced  with  fleurets  (thrusting 
swords),  not  rapiers,  which  Barop  rightly 
believed  had  less  effect  upon  developing  the 
agility  of  youthful  bodies.  Even  when  boys  of 
twelve,  Ludo  and  I,  like  most  of  the  other  pupils, 
had  our  own  excellent  rifles,  a  Christmas  gift 
from  our  mother,  and  how  quickly  our  keen 


62  IN  KEILHAU 

young  eyes  learned  to  hit  the  bull's-eye!  There 
was  good  swimming  in  the  pond  of  the  institute, 
and  skating  was  practiced  there  on  the  frozen 
surface  of  the  neighboring  meadow;  then  we 
had  our  coasting  parties  at  the  "Upper  House" 
and  down  the  long  slope  of  the  Bissau,  the 
climbing  and  rambling,  the  wrestling,  and  jump- 
ing over  the  backs  of  comrades,  the  ditches, 
hedges,  and  fences,  the  games  of  prisoner's  base 
which  no  Keilhau  pupil  will  ever  forget,  the 
ball- playing  and  the  various  games  of  running 
for  which  there  was  always  time,  although  at 
the  end  of  the  year  we  had  acquired  a  sufficient 
amount  of  knowledge.  The  stiffest  boy  who 
came  to  Keilhau  grew  nimble,  the  biceps  of  the 
veriest  weakling  enlarged,  the  most  timid  nature 
was  roused  to  courage.  Indeed,  here,  if  any- 
where, it  required  courage  to  be  cowardly. 

If  Froebel  and  Langethal  had  seen  in  the  prin- 
ciple of  comradeship  the  best  furtherance  of 
discipline,  it  was  proved  here;  for  we  formed 
one  large  family,  and  if  any  act  really  worthy  of 
punishment — no  mere  ebullition  of  youthful 
spirits — was  committed  by  any  of  the  pupils, 
Barop  summoned  us  all,  formed  us  into  a  court 
of  justice,  and  we  examined  into  the  affair  and 
fixed  the  penalty  ourselves.  For  dishonorable 
acts,  expulsion  from  the  institute;  for  grave 
offenses,  confinement  to  the  room — a  punish- 
ment which  pledged  even  us,  who  imposed  it,  to 


IN  KEILHAU  63 

avoid  all  intercourse  with  the  culprit  for  a 
certain  length  of  time.  For  lighter  misde- 
meanors the  offender  was  confined  to  the 
house  or  the  courtyard.  If  trivial  matters 
were  to  be  censured  this  Areopagus  was  not 
convened. 

And  we,  the  judges,  were  rigid  executors  of  the 
punishment.  Barop  afterwards  told  me  that  he 
was  frequently  compelled  to  urge  us  to  be  more 
gentle.  Old  Froebel  regarded  these  meetings  as 
means  for  coming  into  unity  with  life.  The 
same  purpose  was  served  by  the  form  of  our 
intercourse  with  one  another,  the  pedestrian 
excursions,  and  the  many  incidents  related  by 
our  teachers  of  their  own  lives,  especially  the 
historical  instruction  which  was  connected  with 
the  history  of  civilization  and  so  arranged  as  to 
seek  to  make  us  familiar  not  only  with  the  deeds 
of  nations  and  bloody  battles,  but  with  the  life 
of  the  human  race. 

In  spite  of,  or  on  account  of,  the  court  of  jus- 
tice I  have  just  mentioned,  there  could  be  no 
informers  among  us,  for  Barop  only  half  listened 
to  the  accuser,  and  often  sent  him  harshly  from 
the  room  without  summoning  the  schoolmate 
whom  he  accused.  Besides,  we  ourselves  knew 
how  to  punish  the  sycophant  so  that  he 
took  good  care  not  to  act  as  tale-bearer  a 
second  time. 


64  IN  KEILHAU 

Manners,  and  FroebeVs  Kindergarten. 

The  wives  of  the  teachers  had  even  more  to  do 
with  our  deportment  than  the  dancing-master, 
especially  Frau  Barop  and  her  husband's  sister, 
Frau  von  Born,  who  had  settled  in  Keilhau  on 
account  of  having  her  sons  educated  there. 

The  fact  that  the  head-master's  daughters 
and  several  girls,  who  were  friends  or  relatives  of 
his  family,  shared  many  of  our  lessons,  also 
contributed  essentially  to  soften  the  manners  of 
the  young  German  savages. 

I  mention  our  "manners"  especially  because, 
as  I  afterwards  learned,  they  had  been  the 
subject  of  sharp  differences  of  opinion  between 
Friedrich  Froebel  and  Langethal,  and  because 
the  arguments  of  the  former  are  so  character- 
istic that  I  deem  them  worthy  of  record. 

There  could  be  no  lack  of  delicacy  of  feeling 
on  the  part  of  the  founder  of  the  kindergarten 
system,  who  had  said,  "  If  you  are  talking  with 
any  one,  and  your  child  comes  to  ask  you  about 
anything  which  interests  him,  break  off  your  con- 
versation, no  matter  what  may  be  the  rank  of 
the  person  who  is  speaking  to  you,"  and  who 
also  directed  that  the  child  should  receive  not 
only  love  but  respect.  The  first  postulate  shows 
that  he  valued  the  demands  of  the  soul  far  above 
social  forms.  Thus  it  happened  that  during 
the  first  years  of  the  institute,  which  he  then 
governed  himself,  he  was  reproached  with  pay- 


IN  KEILHAU  65 

ing  too  little  attention  to  the  outward  forms, 
the  "behavior,"  the  manners,  of  the  boys  in- 
trusted to  his  care.  His  characteristic  answer 
was:  "I  place  no  value  on  these  forms  unless 
they  depend  upon  and  express  the  inner  self. 
Where  that  is  thoroughly  trained  for  life  and 
work,  externals  may  be  left  to  themselves,  and 
will  supplement  the  other."  The  opponent 
admits  this,  but  declares  that  the  Keilhau 
method,  which  made  no  account  of  outward 
form,  may  defer  this  "supplement"  in  a  way 
disastrous  to  certain  pupils.  Froebel's  answer 
is:  "Certainly,  a  wax  pear  can  be  made  much 
more  quickly  and  is  just  as  beautiful  as  those  on 
the  tree,  which  require  a  much  longer  time  to 
ripen.  But  the  wax  pear  is  only  to  look  at,  can 
barely  be  touched,  far  less  could  it  afford  refresh- 
ment to  the  thirsty  and  the  sick.  It  is  empty — a 
mere  nothing!  The  child's  nature,  it  is  said, 
resembles  wax.  Very  well,  we  don't  grudge  wax 
fruits  to  any  one  who  likes  them.  But  nothing 
must  be  expected  from  them  if  we  are  ill  and 
thirsty;  and  what  is  to  become  of  them  when 
temptations  and  trials  come,  and  to  whom  do 
they  not  come?  Our  educational  products  must 
mature  slowly,  but  thoroughly,  to  genuine 
human  beings  whose  inner  selves  will  be  de- 
ficient in  no  respect.  Let  the  tailor  provide  for 
the  clothes." 

Froebel  himself  was  certainly  very  careless  in 


66  IN  KEILHAU 

the  choice  of  his.  The  long  cloth  coat  in  which 
I  always  saw  him  was  fashioned  by  the  village 
tailor,  and  the  old  gentleman  probably  liked  the 
garment  because  half  a  dozen  children  hung  by 
the  tails  when  he  crossed  the  courtyard.  It 
needed  to  be  durable;  but  the  well-fitting  coats 
worn  by  Barop  and  Langethal  were  equally  so, 
and  both  men  believed  that  the  good  gardener 
should  also  care  for  the  form  of  the  fruit  he 
cultivates,  because,  when  ripe,  it  is  more  valuable 
if  it  looks  well.  They,  too,  cared  nothing  for  wax 
fruits;  nay,  did  not  even  consider  them,  because 
they  did  not  recognize  them  as  fruit  at  all. 

Froebel's  conversion  was  delayed,  but  after 
his  marriage  it  was  all  the  more  thorough.  The 
choice  of  this  intellectual  and  kindly  natured 
man,  who  set  no  value  on  the  external  forms  of 
life,  was,  I  might  say,  "naturally"  a  very  ele- 
gant woman,  a  native  of  Berlin,  the  widow  of 
the  Kriegsrath  Hofmeister.  She  speedily  opened 
Froebel's  eyes  to  the  aesthetic  and  artistic  ele- 
ment in  the  lives  of  the  boys  intrusted  to  his 
care — the  element  to  which  Langethal,  from  the 
time  of  his  entrance  into  the  institution,  had 
directed  his  attention. 

So  in  Keilhau,  too,  woman  was  to  pave  the 
way  to  greater  refinement. 

This  had  occurred  long  before  our  entrance 
into  the  institution.  Froebel  did  not  allude  to 
wax  pears  now  when  he  saw  the  pupils  well 


IN  KEILHAU  67 

dressed  and  courteous  in  manner;  nay,  after- 
wards, in  establishing  the  kindergarten,  he 
praised  and  sought  to  utilize  the  comprehensive 
influence  upon  humanity  of  "woman,"  the 
guardian  of  lofty  morality.  Wives  and  mothers 
owe  him  as  great  a  debt  of  gratitude  as  children, 
and  should  never  forget  the  saying,  "The 
mother's  heart  alone  is  the  true  source  of  the 
welfare  of  the  child,  and  the  salvation  of  human- 
ity. The  fundamental  necessity  of  the  hour  is 
to  prepare  this  soil  for  the  noble  human  blossom, 
and  render  it  fit  for  its  mission." 

To  meet  the  need  mentioned  in  this  sentence 
the  whole  labor  of  the  evening  of  his  life  was  de- 
voted. Amid  many  cares  and  in  defiance  of 
strong  opposition  he  exerted  his  best  powers  for 
the  realization  of  his  ideal,  finding  courage  to  do 
so  in  the  conviction  uttered  in  the  saying,  "Only 
through  the  pure  hands  and  full  hearts  of  wives 
and  mothers  can  the  kingdom  of  God  become  a 
reality." 

Unfortunately,  I  cannot  enter  more  compre- 
hensively here  into  the  details  of  the  kindergarten 
system — it  is  connected  with  Keilhau  only  in  so 
far  that  both  were  founded  by  the  same  man. 
Old  Froebel  was  often  visited  there  by  female 
kindergarten  teachers  and  pedagogues  who 
wished  to  learn  something  of  this  new  institute. 
We  called  the  former  "  Schakelinen  " ;  the  latter, 
according  to  a  popular  etymology,  "Schakale." 


68  IN  KEILHAU 

The  odd  name  bestowed  upon  the  female 
kindergarten  teachers  was  derived,  as  I  learned 
afterwards,  from  no  beast  of  prey,  but  from  a 
figure  in  Jean  Paul's  "Levana,"  endowed  with 
beautiful  gifts.  Her  name  is  Madame  Jacque- 
line, and  she  was  used  by  the  author  to  give 
expression  to  his  own  opinions  of  female  educa- 
tion. Froebel  has  adopted  many  suggestions  of 
Jean  Paul,  but  the  idea  of  the  kindergarten  arose 
from  his  own  unhappy  childhood.  He  wished  to 
make  the  first  five  years  of  life,  which  to  him  had 
been  a  chain  of  sorrows,  happy  and  fruitful  to 
children — especially  to  those  who,  like  him, 
were  motherless. 

Sullen  tempers,  the  rod,  and  the  strictest, 
almost  cruel,  constraint  had  overshadowed  his 
childhood,  and  now  his  effort  was  directed  to- 
wards having  the  whole  world  of  little  people 
join  joyously  in  his  favorite  cry,  "Friede, 
Freude,  Freiheit!"  (Peace,  Pleasure,  Liberty!) 
which  corresponds  with  the  motto  of  the  Jahn 
gymnasium,  "Frisch,  Fromm,  Frohlich,  Frei." 

He  also  desired  to  utilize  for  public  instruction 
the  educational  talents  which  woman  undoubt- 
edly possesses. 

As  in  his  youth,  shoulder  to  shoulder  with 
Pestalozzi,  he  had  striven  to  rear  growing  boys 
in  a  motherly  fashion  to  be  worthy  men,  he  now 
wished  to  turn  to  account,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
whole  wide  circle  of  younger  children,  the  trait 


IN   KEILHAU  69 

of  maternal  solicitude  which  exists  in  every 
woman.  Women  were  to  be  trained  for  teachers, 
and  the  places  where  children  received  their  first 
instruction  were  to  resemble  nurseries  as  closely 
as  possible.  He  also  desired  to  see  the  maternal 
tone  prevail  in  this  instruction. 

He,  through  whose  whole  life  had  run  the  echo 
of  the  Saviour's  words,  "  Suffer  little  children  to 
come  unto  me,"  understood  the  child's  nature 
and  knew  that  its  impulse  to  play  must  be  used, 
in  order  to  afford  it  suitable  future  nourishment 
for  the  mind  and  soul. 

The  instruction,  the  activity,  and  the  move- 
ments of  the  child  should  be  associated  with  the 
things  which  most  interest  him,  and  meanwhile 
it  should  be  constantly  employed  in  some 
creative  occupation  adapted  to  its  intelligence. 

If,  for  instance,  butter  was  spoken  of,  by  the 
help  of  suitable  motions  the  cow  was  milked,  the 
milk  was  poured  into  a  pan  and  skimmed,  the 
cream  was  churned,  the  butter  was  made  into 
pats  and  finally  sent  to  market.  Then  came  the 
payment,  which  required  little  accounts.  When 
the  game  was  over,  a  different  one  followed, 
perhaps  something  which  rendered  the  little 
hands  skillful  by  preparing  fine  weaving  from 
strips  of  paper;  for  Froebel  had  perceived  that 
change  brought  rest. 

Every  kindergarten  should  have  a  small 
garden,  to  afford  an  opportunity  to  watch  the 


70  IN  KEILHAU 

development  of  the  plants,  though  only  one  at  a 
time — for  instance,  the  bean.  By  watching  the 
clouds  in  the  sky  he  directed  the  childish  intel- 
ligence to  the  rivers,  seas,  and  circulation  of 
moisture.  In  the  autumn  the  observation  of  the 
chrysalis  state  of  insects  was  connected  with 
that  of  the  various  stages  of  their  existence. 

In  this  way  the  child  can  be  guided  in  its  play 
to  a  certain  creative  activity,  rendered  familiar 
with  the  life  of  Nature,  the  claims  of  the  house- 
hold, the  toil  of  the  peasants,  mechanics,  etc., 
and  at  the  same  time  increase  its  dexterity  in 
using  its  fingers  and  the  suppleness  of  its  body. 
It  learns  to  play,  to  obey,  and  to  submit  to  the 
rules  of  the  school,  and  is  protected  from  the 
contradictory  orders  of  unreasonable  mothers 
and  nurses. 

Women  and  girls,  too,  were  benefited  by  the 
kindergarten. 

Mothers,  whose  time,  inclination,  or  talents, 
forbade  them  to  devote  sufficient  time  to  the 
child,  were  relieved  by  the  kindergarten.  Girls 
learned,  as  if  in  a  preparatory  school  of  future 
wife  and  motherhood,  how  to  give  the  little  one 
what  it  needed,  and,  as  Froebel  expresses  it,  to 
become  the  mediators  between  Nature  and  mind. 

Yet  even  this  enterprise,  the  outcome  of  pure 
love  for  the  most  innocent  and  harmless  crea- 
tures, was  prohibited  and  persecuted  as  perilous 
to  the  state  under  Frederick  William  IV,  during 


IN  KEILHAU  71 

the  period  of  the  reaction  which  followed  the 
insurrection  of  1848. 

THE  FOUNDERS  OF  THE  KEILHAU  INSTITUTE,  AND 
A  GLIMPSE  AT  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  SCHOOL 

I  was  well  acquainted  with  the  three  founders 
of  our  institute — Friedrich  Froebel,  Middendorf, 
and  Langethal — and  the  two  latter  were  my 
teachers.  Froebel  was  decidedly  "the  master 
who  planned  it." 

When  we  came  to  Keilhau  he  was  already 
sixty-six  years  old,  a  man  of  lofty  stature,  with 
a  face  which  seemed  to  be  carved  with  a  dull 
knife  out  of  brown  wood. 

His  long  nose,  strong  chin,  and  large  ears,  be- 
hind which  the  long  locks,  parted  in  the  middle, 
were  smoothly  brushed,  would  have  rendered 
him  positively  ugly,  had  not  his  "Come,  let  us 
live  for  our  children"  beamed  so  invitingly  in  his 
clear  eyes.  People  did  not  think  whether  he  was 
handsome  or  not;  his  features  bore  the  impress 
of  his  intellectual  power  so  distinctly  that  the 
first  glance  revealed  the  presence  of  a  remarkable 
man. 

Yet  I  must  confess — and  his  portrait  agrees 
with  my  memory — that  his  face  by  no  means  sug- 
gested the  idealist  and  man  of  feeling;  it  seemed 
rather  expressive  of  shrewdness,  and  to  have 
been  lined  and  worn  by  severe  conflicts  concern- 
ing the  most  diverse  interests.  But  his  voice 


72  IN  KEILHAU 

and  his  glance  were  unusually  winning,  and  his 
power  over  the  heart  of  the  child  was  limitless. 
A  few  words  were  sufficient  to  win  completely 
the  shyest  boy  whom  he  desired  to  attract;  and 
thus  it  happened  that,  even  when  he  had  been 
with  us  only  a  few  weeks,  he  was  never  seen 
crossing  the  courtyard  without  a  group  of  the 
younger  pupils  hanging  to  his  coat-tails  and 
clasping  his  hands  and  arms. 

Usually  they  were  persuading  him  to  tell 
stories,  and  when  he  condescended  to  do  so,  older 
ones  flocked  around  him  too,  and  they  were 
never  disappointed.  What  fire,  what  animation 
the  old  man  had  retained !  We  never  called  him 
anything  but  "Oheim."  The  word  "Onkel"  he 
detested  as  foreign,  because  it  was  derived  from 
"avunculus"  and  "oncle."  With  the  high 
appreciation  he  had  of  "Tante" — whom  he 
termed,  next  to  the  mother,  the  most  important 
factor  of  education  in  the  family — our  "Oheim" 
was  probably  specially  agreeable  to  him. 

He  was  thoroughly  a  self-made  man.  The  son 
of  a  pastor  in  Oberweissbach,  in  Thuringia,  he 
had  had  a  dreary  childhood ;  for  his  mother  died 
young,  and  he  soon  had  a  stepmother,  who 
treated  him  with  the  utmost  tenderness  until 
her  own  children  were  born.  Then  an  inde- 
scribably sad  time  began  for  the  neglected  boy, 
whose  dreamy  temperament  vexed  even  his  own 
father.  Yet  in  this  solitude  his  love  for  Nature 


IN  KEILHAU  73 

awoke.  He  studied  plants,  animals,  minerals; 
and  while  his  young  heart  vainly  longed  for  love, 
he  would  have  gladly  displayed  affection  himself, 
if  his  timidity  would  have  permitted  him  to  do 
so.  His  family,  seeing  him  prefer  to  dissect  the 
bones  of  some  animal  rather  than  to  talk  with 
his  parents,  probably  considered  him  a  very 
unlovable  child  when  they  sent  him,  in  his  tenth 
year,  to  school  in  the  city  of  Ilm. 

He  was  received  into  the  home  of  the  pastor, 
his  uncle  Hoffman,  whose  mother-in-law,  who 
kept  the  house,  treated  him  in  the  most  cordial 
manner,  and  helped  him  to  conquer  the  diffidence 
acquired  during  the  solitude  of  the  first  years  of 
his  childhood.  This  excellent  woman  first  made 
him  familiar  with  the  maternal  feminine  solici- 
tude, closer  observation  of  which  afterwards  led 
him,  as  well  as  Pestalozzi,  to  a  reform  of  the 
system  of  educating  youth. 

In  his  sixteenth  year  he  went  to  a  forester  for 
instruction,  but  did  not  remain  long.  Meantime 
he  had  gained  some  mathematical  knowledge, 
and  devoted  himself  to  surveying.  By  this  and 
similar  work  he  earned  a  living,  until,  at  the  end 
of  seven  years,  he  went  to  Frankfort-on-the- 
Main  to  learn  the  rudiments  of  building.  There 
Fate  brought  him  into  contact  with  the  peda- 
gogue Gruner,  a  follower  of  Pestalozzi's  method, 
and  this  experienced  man,  after  their  first 
conversation,  exclaimed: 


74  IN  KEILHAU 

"You  must  become  a  schoolmaster!" 

I  have  often  noticed  in  life  that  a  word  at  the 
right  time  and  place  has  sufficed  to  give  the 
destiny  of  a  human  being  a  different  turn,  and 
the  remark  of  the  Frankfort  educator  fell  into 
Froebel's  soul  like  a  spark.  He  now  saw  his  real 
profession  clearly  and  distinctly  before  him. 

The  restless  years  of  wandering,  during  which, 
unloved  and  scarcely  heeded,  he  had  been  thrust 
from  one  place  to  another,  had  awakened  in  his 
warm  heart  a  longing  to  keep  others  from  the 
same  fate.  He,  who  had  been  guided  by  no  kind 
hand  and  felt  miserable  and  at  variance  with 
himself,  had  long  been  ceaselessly  troubled  by 
the  problem  of  how  the  young  human  plant 
could  be  trained  to  harmony  with  itself  and  to 
sturdy  industry.  Gruner  showed  him  that 
others  were  already  devoting  their  best  powers 
to  solve  it,  and  offered  him  an  opportunity  to  try 
his  ability  in  his  model  school. 

Froebel  joyfully  accepted  this  offer,  cast  aside 
every  other  thought,  and,  with  the  enthusiasm 
peculiar  to  him,  threw  himself  into  the  new  call- 
ing in  a  manner  which  led  Gruner  to  praise  the 
"fire  and  life"  he  understood  how  to  awaken  in 
his  pupils.  He  also  left  it  to  Froebel  to  arrange 
the  plan  of  instruction  which  the  Frankfort 
Senate  wanted  for  the  "model  school,"  and 
succeeded  in  keeping  him  two  years  in  his 
institution. 


IN  KEILHAU  75 

When  a  certain  Frau  von  Holzhausen  was 
looking  for  a  man  who  would  have  the  ability  to 
lead  her  spoiled  sons  into  the  right  path,  and 
Froebel  had  been  recommended,  he  separated 
from  Gruner  and  performed  his  task  with  rare 
fidelity  and  a  skill  bordering  upon  genius.  The 
children,  who  were  physically  puny,  recovered 
under  his  care,  and  the  grateful  mother  made 
him  their  private  tutor  from  1807  till  1810.  He 
chose  Verdun,  where  Pestalozzi  was  then  living, 
as  his  place  of  residence,  and  made  himself 
thoroughly  familiar  with  his  method  of  educa- 
tion. As  a  whole,  he  could  agree  with  him;  but, 
as  has  already  been  mentioned,  in  some  respects 
he  went  further  than  the  Swiss  reformer.  He 
himself  called  these  years  his  "university  course 
as  a  pedagogue,"  but  they  also  furnished  him 
with  the  means  to  continue  the  studies  in  natural 
history  which  he  had  commenced  in  Jena.  He 
had  laid  aside  for  this  purpose  part  of  his  salary 
as  tutor,  and  was  permitted,  from  1810  to  1812, 
to  complete  in  Gottingen  his  astronomical  and 
mineralogical  studies.  Yet  the  wish  to  try  his 
powers  as  a  pedagogue  never  deserted  him ;  and 
when,  in  1812,  the  position  of  teacher  in  the 
Plamann  Institute  in  Berlin  was  offered  him,  he 
accepted  it.  During  his  leisure  hours  he  devoted 
himself  to  gymnastic  exercises,  and  even  late  in 
life  his  eyes  sparkled  when  he  spoke  of  his  friend, 
old  Jahn,  and  the  political  elevation  of  Prussia. 


76  IN  KEILHAU 

When  the  summons  "To  my  People"  called 
the  German  youth  to  war,  Froebel  had  already 
entered  his  thirty-first  year,  but  this  did  not 
prevent  his  resigning  his  office  and  being  one  of 
the  first  to  take  up  arms.  He  went  to  the  field 
with  the  Lutzow  Jagers,  and  soon  after  made 
the  acquaintance  among  his  comrades  of  the 
theological  students  Langethal  and  Middendorf. 
When,  after  the  Peace  of  Paris,  the  young 
friends  parted,  they  vowed  eternal  fidelity,  and 
each  solemnly  promised  to  obey  the  other's 
summons,  should  it  ever  come.  As  soon  as 
Froebel  took  off  the  dark  uniform  of  the  black 
Jagers  he  received  a  position  as  curator  of  the 
museum  of  mineralogy  in  the  Berlin  University, 
which  he  filled  so  admirably  that  the  position  of 
Professor  of  Mineralogy  was  offered  to  him  from 
Sweden.  But  he  declined,  for  another  vocation 
summoned  him  which  duty  and  inclination  for- 
bade him  to  refuse. 

His  brother,  a  pastor  in  the  Thuringian  village 
of  Griesheim  on  the  1 1m,  died,  leaving  three  sons 
who  needed  an  instructor.  The  widow  wished 
her  brother-in-law  Friedrich  to  fill  this  office, 
and  another  brother,  a  farmer  in  Osterode, 
wanted  his  two  boys  to  join  the  trio.  When 
Froebel,  in  the  spring  of  1817,  resigned  his  posi- 
tion, his  friend  Langethal  begged  him  to  take 
his  brother  Eduard  as  another  pupil,  and  thus 
Pestalozzi's  enthusiastic  disciple  and  comrade 


IN  KEILHAU  77 

found  his  dearest  wish  fulfilled.  He  was  now 
the  head  of  his  own  school  for  boys,  and  these 
first  six  pupils — as  he  hoped  with  the  confidence 
in  the  star  of  success  peculiar  to  so  many  men  of 
genius — must  soon  increase  to  twenty.  Some  of 
these  boys  were  specially  gifted:  one  became 
the  scholar  and  politician  Julius  Froebel,  who 
belonged  to  the  Frankfort  Parliament  of  1848, 
and  another  the  Jena  Professor  of  Botany, 
Eduard  Langethal. 

The  new  principal  of  the  school  could  not 
teach  alone,  but  he  only  needed  to  remind  his  old 
army  comrade,  Middendorf,  of  his  promise,  to 
induce  him  to  interrupt  his  studies  in  Berlin, 
which  were  nearly  completed,  and  join  him.  He 
also  had  his  eye  on  Langethal,  if  his  hope  should 
be  fulfilled.  He  knew  what  a  treasure  he  would 
possess  for  his  object  in  this  rare  man. 

There  was  great  joy  in  the  little  Griesheim 
circle,  and  the  Thuringian  (Froebel)  did  not 
regret  for  a  moment  that  he  had  resigned  his 
secure  position;  but  the  Westphalian  (Midden- 
dorf) saw  here  the  realization  of  the  ideal  which 
Froebel's  kindling  words  had  impressed  upon 
his  soul  beside  many  a  watch-fire. 

The  character  of  the  two  men  is  admirably 
described  in  the  following  passage  from  a  letter 
of  "the  oldest  pupil": 

"Both  had  seen  much  of  the  serious  side  of 
life,  and  returned  from  the  war  with  the  higher 


78  IN  KEILHAU 

inspiration  which  is  hallowed  by  deep  religious 
feeling.  The  idea  of  devoting  their  powers  with 
self-denial  and  sacrifice  to  the  service  of  their 
native  land  had  become  a  fixed  resolution;  the 
devious  paths  which  so  many  men  entered  were 
far  from  their  thoughts.  The  youth,  the  young 
generation  of  their  native  land,  were  alone 
worthy  of  their  efforts.  They  meant  to  train 
them  to  a  harmonious  development  of  mind  and 
body;  and  upon  these  young  people  their  pure 
spirit  of  patriotism  exerted  a  vast  influence. 
When  we  recall  the  mighty  power  which  Froebel 
could  exercise  at  pleasure  over  his  fellow  men, 
and  especially  over  children,  we  shall  deem  it 
natural  that  a  child  suddenly  transported  into 
this  circle  could  forget  its  past." 

When  I  entered  it,  though  at  that  time  it  was 
much  modified  and  established  on  firm  founda- 
tions, I  met  with  a  similar  experience.  It  was 
not  only  the  open  air,  the  forest,  the  life  in 
Nature  which  so  captivated  new  arrivals  at 
Keilhau,  but  the  moral  earnestness  and  the  ideal 
aspiration  which  consecrated  and  ennobled  life. 
Then,  too,  there  was  that  "nerve-strengthen- 
ing" patriotism  which  pervaded  everything, 
filling  the  place  of  the  superficial  philanthropy 
of  the  Basedow  system  of  education. 

But  Froebel's  influence  was  soon  to  draw,  as  if 
by  magnetic  power,  the  man  who  had  formed  an 
alliance  with  him  amid  blood  and  steel,  and  who 


IN  KEILHAU  79 

was  destined  to  lend  the  right  solidity  to  the 
newly  erected  structure  of  the  institute — I  mean 
Heinrich  Langethal,  the  most  beloved  and 
influential  of  my  teachers,  who  stood  beside 
Froebel's  inspiring  genius  and  Middendorf's 
lovable  warmth  of  feeling  as  the  character,  and 
at  the  same  time  the  fully  developed  and  trained 
intellect,  whose  guidance  was  so  necessary  to 
the  institute. 

The  life  of  this  rare  teacher  can  be  followed 
step  by  step  from  the  first  years  of  his  childhood 
in  his  autobiography  and  many  other  docu- 
ments, but  I  can  only  attempt  here  to  sketch  in 
broad  outlines  the  character  of  the  man  whose 
influence  upon  my  whole  inner  life  has  been,  up 
to  the  present  hour,  a  decisive  one. 

The  recollection  of  him  makes  me  inclined  to 
agree  with  the  opinion  to  which  a  noble  lady 
sought  to  convert  me — namely,  that  our  lives 
are  far  more  frequently  directed  into  a  certain 
channel  by  the  influence  of  an  unusual  person- 
ality than  by  events,  experiences,  or  individual 
reflections. 

Langethal  was  my  teacher  for  several  years. 
When  I  knew  him  he  was  totally  blind,  and  his 
eyes,  which  are  said  to  have  flashed  so  brightly 
and  boldly  on  the  foe  in  war,  and  gazed  so 
winningly  into  the  faces  of  friends  in  time  of 
peace,  had  lost  their  luster.  But  his  noble 
features  seemed  transfigured  by  the  cheerful 


80  IN  KEILHAU 

earnestness  which  is  peculiar  to  the  old  man, 
who,  even  though  only  with  the  eye  of  the  mind, 
looks  back  upon  a  well-spent,  worthy  life,  and 
who  does  not  fear  death,  because  he  knows  that 
God  who  leads  all  to  the  goal  allotted  by  Nature 
destined  him  also  for  no  other.  His  tall  figure 
could  vie  with  Barop's,  and  his  musical  voice 
was  unusually  deep.  It  possessed  a  resistless 
power  when,  excited  himself,  he  desired  to  fill 
our  young  souls  with  his  own  enthusiasm.  The 
blind  old  man,  who  had  nothing  more  to  com- 
mand and  direct,  moved  through  our  merry, 
noisy  life  like  a  silent  admonition  to  good  and 
noble  things.  Outside  of  the  lessons  he  never 
raised  his  voice  for  orders  or  censure,  yet  we 
obediently  followed  his  signs.  To  be  allowed  to 
lead  him  was  an  honor  and  pleasure.  He  made 
us  acquainted  with  Homer,  and  taught  us 
ancient  and  modern  history.  To  this  day  I 
rejoice  that  not  one  of  us  ever  thought  of  using 
a  pons  asinorum,  or  copied  passage,  though  he 
was  perfectly  sightless,  and  we  were  obliged  to 
translate  to  him  and  learn  by  heart  whole  sec- 
tions of  the  Iliad.  To  have  done  so  would  have 
seemed  as  shameful  as  the  pillage  of  an  unguarded 
sanctuary  or  the  abuse  of  a  wounded  hero. 

And  he  certainly  was  one! 

We  knew  this  from  his  comrades  in  the  war 
and  his  stories  of  1813,  which  were  at  once  so 
vivid  and  so  modest. 


IN  KEILHAU  81 

When  he  explained  Homer  or  taught  ancient 
history  a  special  fervor  animated  him;  for  he 
was  one  of  the  chosen  few  whose  eyes  were 
opened  by  destiny  to  the  full  beauty  and  sub- 
limity of  ancient  Greece. 

I  have  listened  at  the  university  to  many  a 
famous  interpreter  of  the  Hellenic  and  Roman 
poets,  and  many  a  great  historian,  but  not  one 
of  them  ever  gave  me  so  distinct  an  impression 
of  living  with  the  ancients  as  Heinrich  Langethal. 
There  was  something  akin  to  them  in  his  pure, 
lofty  soul,  ever  thirsting  for  truth  and  beauty, 
and,  besides,  he  had  graduated  from  the  school 
of  a  most  renowned  teacher. 

The  outward  aspect  of  the  tall  old  man  was 
eminently  aristocratic,  yet  his  birthplace  was 
the  house  of  a  plain  though  prosperous  mechanic. 
He  was  born  at  Erfurt,  in  1792.  When  very 
young  his  father,  a  man  unusually  sensible  and 
well-informed  for  his  station  in  life,  intrusted 
him  with  the  education  of  a  younger  brother, 
the  one  who,  as  I  have  mentioned,  afterwards 
became  a  professor  at  Jena,  and  the  boy's  prog- 
ress was  so  rapid  that  other  parents  had 
requested  to  have  their  sons  share  the  hours  of 
instruction. 

After  completing  his  studies  at  the  grammar 
school  he  wanted  to  go  to  Berlin,  for,  though  the 
once  famous  university  still  existed  in  Erfurt,  it 
had  greatly  deteriorated.  His  description  of  it 


82  IN  KEILHAU 

is  half  lamentable,  half  amusing,  for  at  that 
time  it  was  attended  by  thirty  students,  for 
whom  seventy  professors  were  employed.  Never- 
theless, there  were  many  obstacles  to  be  sur- 
mounted ere  he  could  obtain  permission  to 
attend  the  Berlin  University;  for  the  law 
required  every  native  of  Erfurt,  who  intended 
afterwards  to  aspire  to  any  office,  to  study  at 
least  two  years  in  his  native  city — at  that  time 
French.  But,  in  defiance  of  all  hindrances,  he 
found  his  way  to  Berlin,  and  in  1811  was  entered 
in  the  university  just  established  there  as  the 
first  student  from  Erfurt.  He  wished  to  devote 
himself  to  theology,  and  Neander,  De  Wette, 
Marheineke,  Schleiermacher,  etc.,  must  have 
exerted  a  great  power  of  attraction  over  a  young 
man  who  desired  to  pursue  that  study. 

At  the  latter's  lectures  he  became  acquainted 
with  Middendorf.  At  first  he  obtained  little 
from  either.  Schleiermacher  seemed  to  him  too 
temporizing  and  obscure.  "He  makes  veils."* 
He  thought  the  young  Westphalian,  at  their 
first  meeting,  merely  "a  nice  fellow."  But  in 
time  he  learned  to  understand  the  great  theolo- 
gian, and  the  "favorite  teacher"  noticed  him 
and  took  him  into  his  house. 

But  first  Fichte,  and  then  Friedrich  August 
Wolf,  attracted  him  far  more  powerfully  than 
Schleiermacher.  Whenever  he  spoke  of  Wolf 

*A  play  upon  the  name,  which  means  veil-maker. 


IN  KEILHAU  83 

his  calm  features  glowed  and  his  blind  eyes 
seemed  to  sparkle.  He  owed  all  that  was  best 
in  him  to  the  great  investigator,  who  sharpened 
his  pupil's  appreciation  of  the  exhaustless  store 
of  lofty  ideas  and  the  magic  of  beauty  contained 
in  classic  antiquity,  and  had  he  been  allowed  to 
follow  his  own  inclination,  he  would  have  turned 
his  back  on  theology,  to  devote  all  his  energies 
to  the  pursuit  of  philology  and  archaeology. 

The  Homeric  question  which  Wolf  had  pro- 
pounded in  connection  with  Goethe,  and  which 
at  that  time  stirred  the  whole  learned  world, 
had  also  moved  Langethal  so  deeply  that,  even 
when  an  old  man,  he  enjoyed  nothing  more  than 
to  speak  of  it  to  us  and  make  us  familiar  with 
the  pros  and  cons  which  rendered  him  an  up- 
holder of  his  revered  teacher.  He  had  been 
allowed  to  attend  the  lectures  on  the  first  four 
books  of  the  Iliad,  and — I  have  living  witnesses 
of  the  fact — he  knew  them  all  verse  by  verse, 
and  corrected  us  when  we  read  or  recited  them 
as  if  he  had  the  copy  in  his  hand. 

True,  he  refreshed  his  naturally  excellent 
memory  by  having  them  all  read  aloud.  I  shall 
never  forget  his  joyous  mirth  as  he  listened  to  my 
delivery  of  Wolf's  translation  of  Aristophanes's 
Acharnians;  but  I  was  pleased  that  he  selected 
me  to  supply  the  dear  blind  eyes.  Whenever  he 
called  me  for  this  purpose  he  already  had  the 
book  in  the  side  pocket  of  his  long  coat,  and  when 


84  IN  KEILHAU 

beckoning  significantly,  he  cried,  "Come,  Bear," 
I  knew  what  was  before  me,  and  would  have 
gladly  resigned  the  most  enjoyable  game,  though 
he  sometimes  had  books  read  which  were  by  no 
means  easy  for  me  to  understand.  I  was  then 
fourteen  or  fifteen  years  old. 

Need  I  say  that  it  was  my  intercourse  with 
this  man  which  implanted  in  my  heart  the  love 
of  ancient  days  that  has  accompanied  me 
throughout  my  life? 

The  elevation  of  the  Prussian  nation  led 
Langethal  also  from  the  university  to  the  war. 
Rumor  first  brought  to  Berlin  the  tidings  of  the 
destruction  of  the  great  army  on  the  icy  plains 
of  Russia;  then  its  remnants,  starving,  worn, 
ragged,  appeared  in  the  capital;  and  the  street- 
boys,  who  not  long  before  had  been  forced  by 
the  French  soldiers  to  clean  their  boots,  now 
with  little  generosity — they  were  only  "street- 
boys" — shouted  sneeringly,  "Say,  mounseer, 
want  your  boots  blacked?" 

Then  came  the  news  of  the  convention  of 
York,  and  at  last  the  irresolute  king  put  an  end 
to  the  doubts  and  delays  which  probably  stirred 
the  blood  of  every  one  who  is  familiar  with 
Droysen's  classic  "Life  of  Field-Marshal  York." 
From  Breslau  came  the  summons  "To  my 
People,"  which,  like  a  warm  spring  wind,  melted 
the  ice  and  woke  in  the  hearts  of  the  German 
youth  a  matchless  budding  and  blossoming. 


IN  KEILHAU  85 

The  snowdrops  which  bloomed  during  those 
March  days  of  1813  ushered  in  the  long-desired 
day  of  freedom,  and  the  call  "To  arms ! "  found 
the  loudest  echo  in  the  hearts  of  the  students. 
It  stirred  the  young,  yet  even  in  those  days 
circumspect,  Langethal,  too,  and  showed  him  his 
duty.  But  difficulties  confronted  him;  for 
Pastor  Ritschel,  a  native  of  Erfurt,  to  whom  he 
confided  his  intention,  warned  him  not  to  write 
to  his  father.  Erfurt,  his  own  birthplace,  was 
still  under  French  rule,  and  were  he  to  com- 
municate his  plan  in  writing  and  the  letter 
should  be  opened  in  the  "black  room,"  with 
other  suspicious  mail  matter,  it  might  cost  the 
life  of  the  man  whose  son  was  preparing  to 
commit  high  treason  by  fighting  against  the 
ruler  of  his  country — Napoleon,  the  Emperor  of 
France. 

"Where  will  you  get  the  uniform,  if  your 
father  won't  help  you,  and  you  want  to  join  the 
black  Jagers?"  asked  the  pastor,  and  received 
the  answer: 

"The  cape  of  my  cloak  will  supply  the 
trousers.  I  can  have  a  red  collar  put  on  my 
cloak,  my  coat  can  be  dyed  black  and  turned 
into  a  uniform,  and  I  have  a  hanger." 

"That's  right!"  cried  the  worthy  minister, 
and  gave  his  young  friend  ten  thalers. 

Middendorf,  too,  reported  to  the  Lutzow 
Jagers  at  once,  and  so  did  the  son  of  Professor 


86  IN  KEILHAU 

Bellermann,  and  their  mutual  friend  Bauer, 
spite  of  his  delicate  health,  which  seemed  to  unfit 
him  for  any  exertion. 

They  set  off  on  the  llth  of  April,  and  while 
the  spring  was  budding  alike  in  the  outside 
world  and  in  young  breasts,  a  new  flower  of 
friendship  expanded  in  the  hearts  of  these  three 
champions  of  the  same  sacred  cause;  for  Lan- 
gethal  and  Middendorf  found  their  Froebel. 
This  was  in  Dresden,  and  the  league  formed 
there  was  never  to  be  dissolved.  They  kept 
their  eyes  fixed  steadfastly  on  the  ideals  of 
youth,  until  in  old  age  the  sight  of  all  three 
failed.  Part  of  the  blessings  which  were  promised 
to  the  nation  when  they  set  forth  to  battle  they 
were  permitted  to  see  seven  lustra  later,  in  1848, 
but  they  did  not  live  to  experience  the  realization 
of  their  fairest  youthful  dream,  the  union  of 
Germany. 

I  must  deny  myself  the  pleasure  of  describing 
the  battles  and  the  marches  of  the  Lutzow  corps, 
which  extended  to  Aachen  and  Oudenarde ;  but 
will  mention  here  that  Langethal  rose  to  the 
rank  of  sergeant,  and  had  to  perform  the  duties 
of  a  first  lieutenant;  and  that,  towards  the  end 
of  the  campaign,  Middendorf  was  sent  with 
Lieutenant  Reil  to  induce  Bliicher  to  receive 
the  corps  in  his  vanguard.  The  old  commander 
gratified  their  wish;  they  had  proved  their 
fitness  for  the  post  when  they  won  the  victory 


IN  KEILHAU  87 

at  the  Gohrde,  where  two  thousand  Frenchmen 
were  killed  and  as  many  more  taken  prisoners. 
The  sight  of  the  battle-field  had  seemed  unendur- 
able to  the  gentle  nature  of  Middendorf.  He, 
had  formed  a  poetical  idea  of  the  campaign  as  an 
expedition  against  the  hereditary  foe.  Now 
that  he  had  confronted  the  bloodstained  face  of 
war  with  all  its  horrors,  he  fell  into  a  state  of 
melancholy  from  which  he  could  scarcely  rouse 
himself. 

After  this  battle  the  three  friends  were 
quartered  in  Castle  Gohrde,  and  there  enjoyed 
a  delightful  season  of  rest  after  months  of  severe 
hardships.  Their  corps  had  been  used  as  the 
extreme  vanguard  against  Davoust's  force, 
which  was  thrice  their  superior  in  numbers,  and 
in  consequence  they  were  subjected  to  great 
fatigues.  They  had  almost  forgotten  how  it 
seemed  to  sleep  in  a  bed  and  eat  at  a  table.  One 
night  march  had  followed  another.  They  had 
often  seized  their  food  from  the  kettles  and  eaten 
it  at  the  next  stopping-place,  but  all  was  cheer- 
fully done;  the  light-heartedness  of  youth  did 
not  vanish  from  their  enthusiastic  hearts. 
There  was  even  no  lack  of  intellectual  aliment, 
for  a  little  field-library  had  been  established  by 
the  exchange  of  books.  Langethal  told  us  of  his 
night's  rest  in  a  ditch,  which  was  to  entail 
disastrous  consequences.  Utterly  exhausted, 
sleep  overpowered  him  in  the  midst  of  a  pouring 


88  IN  KEILHAU 

rain,  and  when  he  awoke  he  discovered  that  he 
was  up  to  his  neck  in  water.  His  damp  bed — 
the  ditch — had  gradually  filled,  but  the  sleep 
was  so  profound  that  even  the  rising  moisture 
had  not  roused  him.  The  very  next  morning  he 
was  attacked  with  a  disease  of  the  eyes,  to  which 
he  attributed  his  subsequent  blindness. 

On  the  26th  of  August  there  was  a  prospect  of 
improvement  in  the  condition  of  the  corps. 
Davoust  had  sent  forty  wagons  of  provisions  to 
Hamburg,  and  the  men  were  ordered  to  capture 
them.  The  attack  was  successful,  but  at  what 
a  price!  Theodor  Korner,  the  noble  young  poet 
whose  songs  will  commemorate  the  deeds  of  the 
Lutzow  corps  so  long  as  German  men  and  boys 
sing  his  "Thou  Sword  at  my  Side,"  or  raise 
their  voices  in  the  refrain  of  the  Lutzow  Jagers' 
song: 

"Do  you  ask  the  name  of  yon  reckless  band? 
'Tis  Lutzow's    black  troopers    dashing    swift 
through  the  land!" 

Langethal  first  saw  the  body  of  the  author  of 
"Lyre  and  Sword"  and  "Zriny"  under  an  oak 
at  Wobbelin;  but  he  was  to  see  it  once  more 
under  quite  different  circumstances.  He  has 
mentioned  it  in  his  autobiography,  and  I  have 
heard  him  describe  several  times  his  visit  to  the 
corpse  of  Theodor  Korner. 

He   had   been   quartered   in   Wobbelin,   and 


IN  KEILHAU  89 

shared  his  room  with  an  Oberjager  von  Behren- 
horst,  son  of  the  postmaster-general  in  Dessau, 
who  had  taken  part  in  the  battle  of  Jena  as  a 
young  lieutenant  and  returned  home  with  a 
darkened  spirit.  At  the  summons  "To  my 
People,"  he  had  enlisted  at  once  as  a  private 
soldier  in  the  Lutzow  corps,  where  he  rose 
rapidly  to  the  rank  of  Oberjager.  During  the 
war  he  had  often  met  Langethal  and  Mid- 
dendorf;  but  the  quiet,  reserved  man,  pre- 
maturely grave  for  his  years,  attached  himself 
so  closely  to  Korner  that  he  needed  no  other 
friend. 

After  the  death  of  the  poet  on  the  26th  of 
August,  1813,  he  moved  silently  about  as  though 
completely  crushed.  On  the  night  which 
followed  the  27th  he  invited  his  roommate 
Langethal  to  go  with  him  to  the  body  of  his 
friend.  Both  went  first  to  the  village  church, 
where  the  dead  Jagers  lay  in  two  long  black 
rows.  A  solemn  stillness  pervaded  the  little 
house  of  God,  which  had  become  during  this 
night  the  abode  of  death,  and  the  nocturnal 
visitors  gazed  silently  at  the  pallid,  rigid  features 
of  one  lifeless  young  form  after  another,  but 
without  finding  him  whom  they  sought. 

During  this  mute  review  of  corpses  it  seemed 
to  Langethal  as  if  Death  were  singing  a  deep, 
heartrending  choral,  and  he  longed  to  pray  for 
these  young,  crushed  human  blossoms;  but  his 


90  IN  KEILHAU 

companion  led  the  way  into  the  guard's  little 
room.  There  lay  the  poet,  "the  radiance  of  an 
angel  on  his  face,"  though  his  body  bore  many 
traces  of  the  fury  of  the  battle.  Deeply  moved, 
Langethal  stood  gazing  down  upon  the  form  of 
the  man  who  had  died  for  his  native  land,  while 
Behrenhorst  knelt  on  the  floor  beside  him, 
silently  giving  himself  up  to  the  anguish  of  his 
soul.  He  remained  in  this  attitude  a  long  time, 
then  suddenly  started  up,  threw  his  arms 
upward,  and  exclaimed,  "Korner,  I'll  follow 
you!" 

With  these  words  Behrenhorst  darted  out  of 
the  little  room  into  the  darkness;  and  a  few 
weeks  after  he,  too,  had  fallen  for  the  sacred 
cause  of  his  native  land. 

They  had  seen  another  beloved  comrade 
perish  in  the  battle  of  Gohrde,  a  handsome 
young  man  of  delicate  figure  and  an  unusually 
reserved  manner. 

Middendorf,  with  whom  he — his  name  was 
Prohaska — had  been  on  more  intimate  terms 
than  the  others,  once  asked  him,  when  he 
timidly  avoided  the  girls  and  women  who  cast 
kindly  glances  at  him,  if  his  heart  never  beat 
faster,  and  received  the  answer,  "  I  have  but  one 
love  to  give,  and  that  belongs  to  our  native 
land." 

While  the  battle  was  raging,  Middendorf  was 
fighting  close  beside  his  comrade.  When  the 


IN  KEILHAU  91 

enemy  fired  a  volley  the  others  stooped,  but 
Prohaska  stood  erect,  exclaiming,  when  he  was 
warned,  "No  bowing!  I'll  make  no  obeisance  to 
the  French!" 

A  few  minutes  after,  the  brave  soldier,  stricken 
by  a  bullet,  fell  on  the  greensward.  His  friends 
bore  him  off  the  field,  and  Prohaska — Eleonore 
Prohaska — proved  to  be  a  girl ! 

While  in  Castle  Gohrde,  Froebel  talked  with 
his  friends  about  his  favorite  plan,  which  he 
had  already  had  in  view  in  Gottingen,  of  estab- 
lishing a  school  for  boys,  and  while  developing 
his  educational  ideal  to  them  and  at  the  same 
time  mentioning  that  he  had  passed  his  thirtieth 
birthday,  and  alluding  to  the  postponement  of 
his  plan  by  the  war,  he  exclaimed,  to  explain 
why  he  had  taken  up  arms: 

"How  can  I  train  boys  whose  devotion  I 
claim,  unless  I  have  proved  by  my  own  deeds 
how  a  man  should  show  devotion  to  the  general 
welfare?" 

These  words  made  a  deep  impression  upon  the 
two  friends,  and  increased  Middendorf's  enthu- 
siastic reverence  for  the  older  comrade,  whose 
experiences  and  ideas  had  opened  a  new  world 
to  him. 

The  Peace  of  Paris,  and  the  enrollment  of  the 
Lutzow  corps  in  the  line,  brought  the  trio  back 
to  Berlin  to  civil  life. 

There  also  each  frequently  sought  the  others, 


92  IN  KEILHAU 

until,  in  the  spring  of  1817,  Froebel  resigned  the 
permanent  position  in  the  Bureau  of  Mineralogy 
in  order  to  establish  his  institute. 

Middendorf  had  been  bribed  by  the  saying  of 
his  admired  friend  that  he  "had  found  the  unity 
of  life."  It  gave  the  young  philosopher  food  for 
thought,  and,  because  he  felt  that  he  had  vainly 
sought  this  unity  and  was  dissatisfied,  he  hoped 
to  secure  it  through  the  society  of  the  man  who 
had  become  everything  to  him.  His  wish  was 
fulfilled,  for  as  an  educator  he  grew  as  it  were 
into  his  own  motto,  "Lucid,  genuine,  and  true 
to  life." 

Middendorf  gave  up  little  when  he  followed 
Froebel. 

The  case  was  different  with  Langethal.  He 
had  entered  as  a  tutor  the  Bendemann  house- 
hold at  Charlottenburg,  where  he  found  a  second 
home.  He  taught  with  brilliant  success  children 
richly  gifted  in  mind  and  heart,  whose  love  he 
won.  It  was  "a  glorious  family"  which  per- 
mitted him  to  share  its  rich  social  life,  and  in 
whose  highly  gifted  circle  he  could  be  sure  of 
finding  warm  sympathy  in  his  intellectual 
interests.  Protected  from  all  external  anxieties, 
he  had  under  their  roof  ample  leisure  for  indus- 
trious labor  and  also  for  intercourse  with  his 
own  friends. 

In  July,  1817,  he  passed  the  last  examination 
with  the  greatest  distinction,  receiving  the  "very 


IN   KEILHAU  93 

good,"  rarely  bestowed;  and  a  brilliant  career 
lay  before  him. 

Directly  after  this  success  three  pulpits  were 
offered  to  him,  but  he  accepted  neither,  because 
he  longed  for  rest  and  quiet  occupation. 

The  summons  from  Froebel  to  devote  himself 
to  his  infant  institute,  where  Langethal  had 
placed  his  younger  brother,  also  reached  him. 
The  little  school  moved  on  St.  John's  Day,  1817, 
from  Griesheim  to  Keilhau,  where  the  widow  of 
Pastor  Froebel  had  been  offered  a  larger  farm. 
The  place  which  she  and  her  children's  teacher 
found  was  wonderfully  adapted  to  Froebel's 
purpose,  and  seemed  to  promise  great  advantages 
both  to  the  pupils  and  to  the  institute.  There 
was  much  building  and  arranging  to  be  accom- 
plished, but  means  to  do  so  were  obtained,  and 
the  first  pupil  described  very  amusingly  the 
entrance  into  the  new  home,  the  furnishing,  the 
discovery  of  all  the  beauties  and  advantages 
which  we  found  as  an  old  possession  in  Keilhau, 
and  the  endeavor,  so  characteristic  of  Midden- 
dorf ,  to  adapt  even  the  less  attractive  points  to 
his  own  poetic  ideas. 

Only  the  hours  of  instruction  fared  badly,  and 
Froebel  felt  that  he  needed  a  man  of  fully  devel- 
oped strength  in  order  to  give  the  proper 
foundation  to  the  instruction  of  the  boys  who 
were  intrusted  to  his  care.  He  knew  a  man  of 
this  stamp  in  the  student  F.  A.  Wolf,  whose 


94  IN  KEILHAU 

talent  for  teaching  had  been  admirably  proved 
in  the  Bendemann  family. 

"Langethal,"  as  the  first  pupil  describes  him, 
"was  at  that  time  a  very  handsome  man  of  five- 
and-twenty  years.  His  brow  was  grave,  but  his 
features  expressed  kindness  of  heart,  gentleness, 
and  benevolence.  The  dignity  of  his  whole 
bearing  was  enhanced  by  the  sonorous  tones  of 
his  voice — he  retained  them  until  old  age — and 
his  whole  manner  revealed  manly  firmness. 
Middendorf  was  more  pleasing  to  women, 
Langethal  to  men.  Middendorf  attracted  those 
who  saw,  Langethal  those  who  heard  him,  and 
the  confidence  he  inspired  was  even  more  lasting 
than  that  aroused  by  Middendorf. 

What  marvel  that  Froebel  made  every  effort 
to  win  this  rare  power  for  the  young  institute? 
But  Langethal  declined,  to  the  great  vexation  of 
Middendorf.  Diesterweg  called  the  latter  "a  St. 
John,"  but  our  dear,  blind  teacher  added,  "And 
Froebel  was  his  Christus." 

The  enthusiastic  young  Westphalian,  who  had 
once  believed  he  saw  in  this  man  every  masculine 
virtue,  and  whose  life  appeared  emblematical, 
patiently  accepted  everything,  and  considered 
every  one  a  "renegade"  who  had  ever  followed 
Froebel  and  did  not  bow  implicitly  to  his  will. 
So  he  was  angered  by  Langethal's  refusal.  The 
latter  had  been  offered,  with  brilliant  prospects 
for  the  present  and  still  fairer  ones  for  the  future. 


IN  KEILHAU  95 

a  position  as  a  tutor  in  Silesia,  a  place  which 
secured  him  the  rest  he  desired,  combined  with 
occupation  suited  to  his  tastes.  He  was  to  share 
the  labor  of  teaching  with  another  instructor, 
who  was  to  take  charge  of  the  exact  sciences, 
with  which  he  was  less  familiar,  and  he  was  also 
permitted  to  teach  his  brother  with  the  young 
Counts  Stolberg. 

He  accepted,  but  before  going  to  Silesia  he 
wished  to  visit  his  Keilhau  friends  and  take  his 
brother  away  with  him.  He  did  so,  and  the 
"diplomacy"  with  which  Froebel  succeeded  in 
changing  the  decision  of  the  resolute  young  man 
and  gaining  him  over  to  his  own  interests,  is 
really  remarkable.  It  won  for  the  infant 
institute  in  the  person  of  Langethal — if  the 
expression  is  allowable — the  backbone. 

Froebel  had  sent  Middendorf  to  meet  his 
friend,  and  the  latter,  on  the  way,  told  him  of 
the  happiness  which,  he  had  found  in  his  new 
home  and  occupation.  Then  they  entered 
Keilhau,  and  the  splendid  landscape  which 
surrounds  it  needs  no  praise. 

Froebel  received  his  former  comrade  with  the 
utmost  cordiality,  and  the  sight  of  the  robust, 
healthy,  merry  boys  who  were  lying  on  the  floor 
that  evening,  building  forts  and  castles  with  the 
wooden  blocks  which  Froebel  had  had  made  for 
them  according  to  his  own  plan,  excited  the 
keenest  interest.  He  had  come  to  take  his 


96  IN  KEILHAU 

brother  away;  but  when  he  saw  him,  among 
other  happy  companions  of  his  own  age,  complete 
the  finest  structure  of  all — a  Gothic  cathedral 
— it  seemed  almost  wrong  to  tear  the  child  from 
this  circle. 

He  gazed  sadly  at  his  brother  when  he  came 
to  bid  him  "good-night,"  and  then  remained 
alone  with  Froebel.  The  latter  was  less  talkative 
than  usual,  waiting  for  his  friend  to  tell  him  of 
the  future  which  awaited  him  in  Silesia.  When 
he  heard  that  a  second  tutor  was  to  relieve 
Langethal  of  half  his  work,  he  exclaimed,  with 
the  greatest  anxiety: 

"You  do  not  know  him,  and  yet  intend  to 
finish  a  work  of  education  with  him?  What 
great  chances  you  are  hazarding!" 

The  next  morning  Froebel  asked  his  friend 
what  goal  in  life  he  had  set  before  him,  and 
Langethal  replied : 

"Like  the  apostle,  I  would  fain  proclaim  the 
gospel  to  all  men  according  to  the  best  of  my 
powers,  in  order  to  bring  them  into  close  com- 
munion with  the  Redeemer." 

Froebel  answered,  thoughtfully: 

' "  If  you  desire  that,  you  must,  like  the  apostles, 
know  men.  You  must  be  able  to  enter  into  the 
life  of  every  one — here  a  peasant,  there  a 
mechanic.  If  you  cannot,  do  not  hope  for  suc- 
cess; your  influence  will  not  extend  far." 

How  wise  and  convincing  the  words  sounded  t 


IN   KEILHAU  97 

And  Froebel  touched  the  sensitive  spot  in  the 
young  minister,  who  was  thoroughly  imbued 
with  the  sacred  beauty  of  his  life-task,  yet 
certainly  knew  the  Gospels,  his  classic  authors, 
and  apostolic  fathers  much  better  than  he  did 
the  world. 

He  thoughtfully  followed  Froebel,  who,  with 
Middendorf  and  the  boys,  led  him  up  the 
Steiger,  the  mountain  whose  summit  afforded 
the  magnificent  view  I  have  described.  It  was 
the  hour  when  the  setting  sun  pours  its  most 
exquisite  light  over  the  mountains  and  valleys. 
The  heart  of  the  young  clergyman,  tortured  by 
anxious  doubts,  swelled  at  the  sight  of  this 
magnificence,  and  Froebel,  seeing  what  was 
passing  in  his  mind,  exclaimed: 

"Come,  comrade,  let  us  have  one  of  our  old 
war-songs." 

The  musical  "black  Jager"  of  yore  willingly 
assented;  and  how  clearly  and  enthusiastically 
the  chorus  of  boyish  voices  chimed  in ! 

When  it  died  away,  the  older  man  passed  his 
arm  around  his  friend's  shoulders,  and,  pointing 
to  the  beautiful  region  lying  before  them  in  the 
sunset  glow,  exclaimed: 

"Why  seek  so  far  away  what  is  close  at  hand? 
A  work  is  established  here  which  must  be  built 
by  the  hand  of  God!  Implicit  devotion  and 
self-sacrifice  are  needed." 

While  speaking,  he  gazed  steadfastly  into  his 


98  IN   KEILHAU 

friend's  tearful  eyes,  as  if  he  had  found  his  true 
object  in  life,  and  when  he  held  out  his  hand 
Langethal  clasped  it — he  could  not  help  it. 

That  very  day  a  letter  to  the  Counts  Stolberg 
informed  them  that  they  must  seek  another 
tutor  for  their  sons,  and  Froebel  and  Keilhau 
could  congratulate  themselves  on  having  gained 
their  Langethal. 

The  management  of  the  school  was  hencefor- 
ward in  the  hands  of  a  man  of  character,  while 
the  extensive  knowledge  and  the  excellent 
method  of  a  well-trained  scholar  had  been 
obtained  for  the  educational  department.  The 
new  institute  now  prospered  rapidly.  The 
renown  of  the  fresh,  healthful  life  and  the  able 
tuition  of  the  pupils  spread  far  beyond  the  limits 
of  Thuringia.  The  material  difficulties  with 
which  the  head-master  had  had  to  struggle  after 
the  erection  of  the  large  new  buildings  were  also 
removed  when  Froebel's  prosperous  brother  in 
Osterode  decided  to  take  part  in  the  work  and 
move  to  Keilhau.  He  understood  farming,  and, 
by  purchasing  more  land  and  woodlands, 
transformed  the  peasant  holding  into  a  con- 
siderable estate. 

When  Froebel's  restless  spirit  drew  him  to 
Switzerland  to  undertake  new  educational  enter- 
prises, and  some  one  was  needed  who  could 
direct  the  business  management,  Barop,  the 
steadfast  man  of  whom  I  have  already  spoken, 


IN  KEILHAU  99 

was  secured.  Deeply  esteemed  and  sincerely 
beloved,  he  managed  the  institute  during  the 
time  that  we  three  brothers  were  pupils  there. 
He  had  found  many  things  within  to  arrange  on 
a  more  practical  foundation,  many  without  to 
correct:  for  the  long  locks  of  most  of  the  pupils; 
the  circumstance  that  three  Lutzow  Jagers,  one 
of  whom  had  delivered  the  oration  at  a  students' 
political  meeting,  had  established  the  school; 
that  Barop  had  been  persecuted  as  a  demagogue 
on  account  of  his  connection  with  a  students' 
political  society;  and,  finally,  Froebel's  relations 
with  Switzerland  and  the  liberal  educational 
methods  of  the  school,  had  roused  the  suspicions 
of  the  Berlin  demagogue-hunters,  and  therefore 
demagogic  tendencies,  from  which  in  reality  it 
had  always  held  aloof,  were  attributed  to  the 
institute. 

Yes,  we  were  free,  in  so  far  that  everything 
which  could  restrict  or  retard  our  physical  and 
mental  development  was  kept  away  from  us, 
and  our  teachers  might  call  themselves  so 
because,  with  virile  energy,  they  had  understood 
how  to  protect  the  institute  from  every  injurious 
and  narrowing  outside  influence.  The  smallest 
and  the  largest  pupil  was  free,  for  he  was  per- 
mitted to  be  wholly  and  entirely  his  natural  self, 
so  long  as  he  kept  within  the  limits  imposed  by 
the  existing  laws.  But  license  was  nowhere 
more  sternly  prohibited  than  at  Keilhau;  and 


100  IN  KEILHAU 

the  deep  religious  feeling  of  its  head-masters — 
Barop,  Langethal,  and  Middendorf — ought  to 
have  taught  the  suspicious  spies  in  Berlin  that 
the  command,  "Render  unto  Caesar  the  things 
that  are  Caesar's,"  would  never  be  violated  here. 
The  time  I  spent  in  Keilhau  was  during  the 
period  of  the  worst  reaction,  and  I  now  know 
that  our  teachers  would  have  sat  on  the  Left  in 
the  Prussian  Landtag;  yet  we  never  heard  a 
disrespectful  word  spoken  of  Frederick  William 
IV,  and  we  were  instructed  to  show  the  utmost 
respect  to  the  prince  of  the  little  country  of 
Rudolstadt  to  which  Keilhau  belonged.  Barop, 
spite  of  his  liberal  tendencies,  was  highly 
esteemed  by  this  petty  sovereign,  decorated 
with  an  order,  and  raised  to  the  rank  of  Coun- 
cillor of  Education.  From  a  hundred  isolated 
recollections  and  words  which  have  lingered  in 
my  memory  I  have  gathered  that  our  teachers 
were  liberals  in  a  very  moderate  way,  yet  they 
were  certainly  guilty  of  "demagogic  aspirations" 
in  so  far  as  that  they  desired  for  their  native 
land  only  what  we,  thank  Heaven,  now  possess: 
its  unity,  and  a  popular  representation,  by  a 
free  election  of  all  its  states,  in  a  German 
Parliament.  What  enthusiasm  for  the  Emperor 
William,  Bismarck,  and  Von  Moltke,  Langethal, 
Middendorf,  and  Barop  would  have  inspired  in 
our  hearts  had  they  been  permitted  to  witness 
the  great  events  of  1870  and  1871! 


IN  KEILHAU  101 

Besides,  politics  were  kept  from  us,  and  this 
had  become  known  in  wider  circles  when  we 
entered  the  institute,  for  most  of  the  pupils 
belonged  to  loyal  families.  Many  were  sons  of 
the  higher  officials,  officers,  and  landed  pro- 
prietors; and  as  long  locks  had  long  since  be- 
come the  exception,  and  the  Keilhau  pupils  were 
as  well  mannered  as  possible,  many  noblemen, 
among  them  chamberlains  and  other  court  offi- 
cials, decided  to  send  their  boys  to  the  institute. 

The  great  manufacturers  and  merchants  who 
placed  their  sons  in  the  institute  were  ,also  not 
men  favorable  to  revolution,  and  many  of  our 
comrades  became  officers  in  the  German  army. 
Others  are  able  scholars,  clergymen,  and  mem- 
bers of  Parliament;  others  again  government 
officials,  who  fill  high  positions;  and  others  still 
are  at  the  head  of  large  industrial  or  mercantile 
enterprises.  I  have  not  heard  of  a  single  indi- 
vidual who  has  gone  to  ruin,  and  of  very  many 
who  have  accomplished  things  really  worthy  of 
note.  But  wherever  I  have  met  an  old  pupil  of 
Keilhau,  I  have  found  in  him  the  same  love  for 
the  institute,  have  seen  his  eyes  sparkle  more 
brightly  when  we  talked  of  Langethal,  Midden- 
dorf,  and  Barop.  jNot  one  has  turned  out  a 
sneak  or  a  hypocrite. 

The  present  institution  is  said  to  be  an  admira- 
ble one;  but  the  "Realschule"  of  Keilhau,  which 
has  been  forced  to  abandon  its  former  human- 


102  IN  KEILHAU 

istic  foundation,  can  scarcely  train  to  so  great 
a  variety  of  callings  the  boys  now  intrusted  to 
its  care. 

IN  THE  FOREST  AND  ON  THE  MOOR 

The  little  country  of  Rudolstadt  in  which  Keil- 
hau  lies  had  had  its  revolution,  though  it  was 
but  a  small  and  bloodless  one.  True,  the  in- 
surrection had  nothing  to  do  with  human  beings, 
but  involved  the  destruction  of  living  creatures. 
Greater  liberty  in  hunting  was  demanded. 

This  might  seem  a  trivial  matter,  yet  it  was  of 
the  utmost  importance  to  both  disputants.  The 
wide  forests  of  the  country  had  hitherto  been 
the  hunting-grounds  of  the  prince,  and  not  a  gun 
could  be  fired  there  without  his  permission.  To 
give  up  these  "happy  hunting-grounds"  was  a 
severe  demand  upon  the  eager  sportsman  who 
occupied  the  Rudolstadt  throne,  and  the  rustic 
population  would  gladly  have  spared  him  had  it 
been  possible. 

But  the  game  in  Rudolstadt  had  become  a 
veritable  torment,  which  destroyed  the  husband- 
men's hopes  of  harvests.  The  peasant,  to  save 
his  fields  from  the  stags  and  does  which  broke 
into  them  in  herds  at  sunset,  tried  to  keep  them 
out  by  means  of  clappers  and  bad  odors.  I 
have  seen  and  smelled  the  so-called  "French- 
man's oil"  with  which  the  posts  were  smeared, 
that  its  really  diabolical  odor — I  don't  know 


IN  KEILHAU  103 

from  what  horrors  it  was  compounded — might 
preserve  the  crops.  The  ornament  of  the  forests 
had  become  the  object  of  the  keenest  hate,  and 
as  soon  as — shortly  before  we  entered  Keilhau — 
hunting  was  freely  permitted,  the  peasants  gave 
full  vent  to  their  rage,  set  off  for  the  woods  with 
the  old  muskets  they  had  kept  hidden  in  the 
garrets,  or  other  still  more  primitive  weapons, 
and  shot  or  struck  down  all  the  game  they 
encountered.  Roast  venison  was  cheap  for 
weeks  on  Rudolstadt  tables,  and  the  pupils  had 
many  an  unexpected  pleasure. 

The  hunting  exploits  of  the  older  scholars 
were  only  learned  by  us  younger  ones  as  secrets, 
and  did  not  reach  the  teachers'  ears  until  long 
after.  But  the  woods  furnished  other  pleasures 
besides  those  enjoyed  by  the  sportsman.  Every 
ramble  through  the  forest  enriched  our  knowl- 
edge of  plants  and  animals,  and  I  soon  knew  the 
different  varieties  of  stones  also ;  yet  we  did  not 
suspect  that  this  knowledge  was  imparted  ac- 
cording to  a  certain  system.  We  were  taught  as 
it  were  by  stealth,  and  how  many  pleasant, 
delicious  things  attracted  us  to  the  class-rooms 
on  the  wooded  heights! 

Vegetation  was  very  abundant  in  the  richly 
watered  mountain  valley.  Our  favorite  spring 
was  the  Schaalbach  at  the  foot  of  the  Steiger,* 

*  We  pupils  bought  it  of  the  peasant  who  owned  it  and 
gave  it  to  Barop. 


104  IN  KEILHAU 

because  there  was  a  fowling-floor  connected 
with  it,  where  I  spent  many  a  pleasant  evening. 
It  could  be  used  only  after  breeding-time,  and 
consisted  of  a  hut  built  of  boughs  where  the  bird- 
catcher  lodged.  Flowing  water  rippled  over  the 
little  wooden  rods  on  which  the  feathered  den- 
izens of  the  woods  alighted  to  quench  their 
thirst  before  going  to  sleep.  When  some  of  them 
— frequently  six  at  a  time — had  settled  on  the 
perches  in  the  trough,  it  was  drawn  into  the  hut 
by  a  rope,  a  net  was  spread  over  the  water  and 
there  was  nothing  more  to  do  except  take  the 
captives  out. 

The  name  of  the  director  of  this  amusement 
was  Merbod.  He  could  imitate  the  voices  of  all 
the  birds,  and  was  a  merry,  versatile  fellow,  who 
knew  how  to  do  a  thousand  things,  and  of  whom 
we  boys  were  very  fond. 

The  peasant  Bredernitz  often  took  us  to  his 
crow-hut,  which  was  a  hole  in  the  ground  covered 
with  boughs  and  pieces  of  turf,  where  the  hunters 
lay  concealed.  The  owl,  which  lured  the  crows 
and  other  birds  of  prey,  was  fastened  on  a  perch, 
and  when  they  flew  up,  often  in  large  flocks,  to 
tease  the  old  crosspatch  which  sat  blinking 
angrily,  they  were  shot  down  from  loopholes 
which  had  been  left  in  the  hut.  The  hawks 
which  prey  upon  doves  and  hares,  the  crows  and 
magpies,  can  thus  easily  be  decimated. 

We  had  learned  to  use  our  guns  in  the  play- 


IN  KEILHAU  105 

ground.  The  utmost  caution  was  enforced,  and 
although,  as  I  have  already  remarked,  we 
handled  our  own  guns  when  we  were  only  lads  of 
twelve  years  old,  I  cannot  recall  a  single  accident 
which  occurred. 

Once,  during  the  summer,  there  was  a  Schut- 
zenfest,  in  which  a  large  wooden  eagle  was  shot 
from  the  pole.  Whoever  brought  down  the  last 
splinter  became  king.  This  honor  once  fell  to 
my  share,  and  I  was  permitted  to  choose  a  queen. 
I  crowned  Marie  Breimann,  a  pretty,  slender 
young  girl  from  Brunswick,  whose  Greek  profile 
and  thick  silken  hair  had  captivated  my  fancy. 
She  and  Adelheid  Barop,  the  head-master's 
daughter,  were  taught  in  our  classes,  but  Marie 
attracted  me  more  strongly  than  the  diligent 
Keilhau  lassies  with  their  beautiful  black  eyes 
and  the  other  two  blooming  and  graceful  West- 
phalian  girls  who  were  also  schoolmates.  But 
the  girls  occupied  a  very  small  place  in  our  lives. 
They  could  neither  wrestle,  shoot,  nor  climb,  so 
we  gave  them  little  thought,  and  anything  like 
actual  flirtation  was  unknown — we  had  so  many 
better  things  in  our  heads.  Wrestling  and  other 
sports  threw  everything  else  into  the  shade. 
Pretty  Marie,  however,  probably  suspected 
which  of  my  schoolmates  I  liked  best,  and  up  to 
the  time  of  my  leaving  the  institute  I  allowed  no 
other  goddess  to  rival  her.  But  there  were 
plenty  of  amusements  at  Keilhau  besides  bird- 


106  IN  KEILHAU 

shooting.  I  will  mention  the  principal  ones 
which  came  during  the  year,  for  to  describe 
them  in  regular  order  would  be  impossible. 

Of  the  longer  walks  which  we  took  in  the 
spring  and  summer  the  most  beautiful  was  the 
one  leading  through  Blankenburg  to  the  entrance 
of  the  Schwarzathal,  and  thence  through  the 
lofty,  majestically  formed  group  of  cliffs  at 
whose  foot  the  clear,  swift  Schwarza  flows, 
dashing  and  foaming,  to  Schwarzburg. 

How  clearly  our  songs  echoed  from  the  granite 
walls  of  the  river  valley,  and  how  lively  it  always 
was  at  "The  Stag,"  whose  landlord  possessed  a 
certain  power  of  attraction  to  us  boys  in  his  own 
person;  for,  as  the  stoutest  man  in  Thuringia,  he 
was  a  feast  for  the  eyes!  His  jollity  equaled  his 
corpulence,  and  how  merrily  he  used  to  jest  with 
us  lads ! 

Of  the  shorter  expeditions  I  will  mention  only 
the  two  we  took  most  frequently,  which  led  us  in 
less  than  an  hour  to  Blankenburg  or  Greifen- 
stein,  a  large  ruin,  many  parts  of  which  were  in 
tolerable  preservation.  It  had  been  the  home  of 
Count  Gunther  von  Schwarzburg,  who  paid 
with  his  life  for  the  honor  of  wearing  the 
German  imperial  crown  a  few  short  months. 

We  also  enjoyed  being  sent  to  the  little  town 
of  Blankenburg  on  errands,  for  it  was  the  home 
of  our  drawing-master,  the  artist  Unger,  one  of 
those  original  characters  whom  we  rarely  meet 


IN  KEILHAU  107 

now.  When  we  knew  him,  the  handsome, 
broad-shouldered  man,  with  his  thick  red  beard, 
looked  as  one  might  imagine  Odin.  Summer 
and  winter  his  dress  was  a  gray  woolen  jacket, 
into  which  a  short  pipe  was  thrust,  and  around 
his  hips  a  broad  leather  belt,  from  which  hung 
a  bag  containing  his  drawing  materials.  He 
cared  nothing  for  public  opinion,  and,  as  an 
independent  bachelor,  desired  nothing  except 
"to  be  let  alone,"  for  he  professed  the  utmost 
contempt  for  the  corrupt  brood  yclept  "man- 
kind." He  never  came  to  our  entertainments, 
probably  because  he  would  be  obliged  to  wear 
something  in  place  of  his  woolen  jacket,  and 
because  he  avoided  women,  whom  he  called 
"the  roots  of  all  evil."  I  still  remember  how 
once,  after  emptying  the  vials  of  his  wrath  upon 
mankind,  he  said,  in  reply  to  the  question 
whether  he  included  Barop  among  the  iniquitous 
brood,  "Why,  of  course  not;  he  doesn't  belong 
to  it!" 

There  was  no  lack  of  opportunity  to  visit  him, 
for  a  great  many  persons  employed  to  work  for 
the  school  lived  in  Blankenburg,  and  we  were 
known  to  be  carefully  watched  there. 

I  remember  two  memorable  expeditions  to 
the  little  town.  Once  my  brother  Ludo  burned 
his  arm  terribly  during  a  puppet-show  by  the 
explosion  of  some  powder  provided  for  the  toy 
cannon. 


108  IN  KEILHAU 

The  poor  fellow  suffered  so  severely  that  I 
could  not  restrain  my  tears,  and  though  it  was 
dark,  and  snow  lay  on  the  mountains,  off  I  went 
to  Blankenburg  to  get  the  old  surgeon,  calling  to 
some  of  my  schoolmates  at  the  door  to  tell 
them  of  my  destination.  It  was  no  easy  matter 
to  wade  through  the  snow;  but,  fortunately, 
the  stars  gave  me  sufficient  light  to  keep  in  the 
right  path  as  I  dashed  down  the  mountain  to 
Blankenburg.  How  often  I  plunged  into  ditches 
filled  with  snow  and  slid  down  short  descents 
I  don't  know;  but  as  I  write  these  lines  I  can 
vividly  remember  the  relief  with  which  I  at  last 
trod  the  pavement  of  the  little  town.  Old 
Wetzel  was  at  home,  and  a  carriage  soon  con- 
veyed us  over  the  only  road  to  the  institute. 
I  was  not  punished.  Barop  only  laid  his  hand 
on  my  head,  and  said,  "I  am  glad  you  are  back 
again,  Bear." 

Another  trip  to  Blankenburg  entailed  re- 
sults far  more  serious — nay,  almost  cost  me 
my  life. 

I  was  then  fifteen,  and  one  Sunday  afternoon 
I  went  with  Barop's  permission  to  visit  the 
Hamburgers,  but  on  condition  that  I  should 
return  by  nine  o'clock  at  latest. 

Time,  however,  slipped  by  in  pleasant  conver- 
sation until  a  later  hour,  and  as  thunder  clouds 
were  rising  my  host  tried  to  keep  me  overnight. 
But  I  thought  this  would  not  be  allowable,  and, 


IN   KEILHAU  109 

armed  with  an  umbrella,  I  set  off  along  the  road, 
with  which  I  was  perfectly  familiar. 

But  the  storm  soon  burst,  and  it  grew  so  dark 
that,  except  when  the  lightning  flashed,  I  could 
not  see  my  hand  before  my  face.  Yet  on  I  went, 
though  wondering  that  the  path  along  which  I 
groped  my  way  led  upward,  until  the  lightning 
showed  me  that,  by  mistake,  I  had  taken  the 
road  to  Greifenstein.  I  turned  back,  and  while 
feeling  my  way  through  the  gloom  the  earth 
seemed  to  vanish  under  my  feet,  and  I  plunged 
headlong  into  a  viewless  gulf — not  through 
empty  space,  however,  but  a  wet,  tangled  mass 
which  beat  against  my  face,  until  at  last  there 
was  a  jerk  which  shook  me  from  head  to  foot. 

I  no  longer  fell,  but  I  heard  above  me  the  sound 
of  something  tearing,  and  the  thought  darted 
through  my  mind  that  I  was  hanging  by  my 
trousers.  Groping  around,  I  found  vine-leaves, 
branches,  and  lattice-work,  to  which  I  clung, 
and  tearing  away  with  my  foot  the  cloth  which 
had  caught  on  the  end  of  a  lath,  I  again  brought 
my  head  where  it  should  be,  and  discovered  that 
I  was  hanging  on  a  vine-clad  wall.  A  flash  of 
lightning  showed  me  the  ground  not  very  far 
below  and,  by  the  help  of  the  espalier  and  the 
vines,  I  at  last  stood  in  a  garden. 

Almost  by  a  miracle  I  escaped  with  a  few 
scratches;  but  when  I  afterwards  went  to  look 
at  the  scene  of  this  disaster  cold  chills  ran  down 


110  IN   KEILHAU 

my  back,  for  half  the  distance  whence  I  plunged 
into  the  garden  would  have  been  enough  to 
break  my  neck. 

Our  games  were  similar  to  those  which  lads  of 
the  same  age  play  now,  but  there  were  some 
additional  ones  that  could  only  take  place  in  a 
wooded  mountain  valley  like  Keilhau;  such,  for 
instance,  were  our  Indian  games,  which  engrossed 
us  at  the  time  when  we  were  pleased  with 
Cooper's  "Leather-Stocking,"  but  I  need  not 
describe  them. 

When  I  was  one  of  the  older  pupils  a  party  of 
us  surprised  some  "Panzen" — as  we  called  the 
younger  ones — one  hot  afternoon  engaged  in  a 
very  singular  game  of  their  own  invention. 
They  had  undressed  to  the  skin  in  the  midst  of 
the  thickest  woods  and  were  performing  Para- 
dise and  the  Fall  of  Man,  as  they  had  probably 
just  been  taught  in  their  religious  lesson.  For 
the  expulsion  of  Adam  and  our  universal  mother 
Eve,  the  angel — in  this  case  there  were  two  of 
them — used,  instead  of  the  flaming  sword,  stout 
hazel  rods,  with  which  they  performed  their 
part  of  warders  so  over-zealously  that  a  quarrel 
followed,  which  we  older  ones  stopped. 

Thus  many  bands  of  pupils  invented  games  of 
their  own,  but,  thank  Heaven,  rarely  devised 
such  absurdities.  Our  later  Homeric  battles  any 
teacher  would  have  witnessed  with  pleasure. 
Froebel  would  have  greeted  them  as  signs  of 


IN   KEILHAU  111 

creative  imagination  and  "individual  life"  in 
the  boys. 

SUMMER  PLEASURES  AND  RAMBLES 

Wholly  unlike  these,  genuinely  and  solely  a 
product  of  Keilhau,  was  the  great  battle-game 
which  we  called  Bergwacht,  one  of  my  brightest 
memories  of  those  years. 

Long  preparations  were  needed,  and  these, 
too,  were  delightful. 

On  the  wooded  plain  at  the  summit  of  the 
Kolm,  a  mountain  which  belonged  mainly  to  the 
institute,  war  was  waged  during  the  summer 
every  Saturday  evening  until  far  into  the  night, 
whenever  the  weather  was  fine,  which  does  not 
happen  too  often  in  Thuringia. 

The  whole  body  of  pupils  was  divided  into 
three,  afterwards  into  four  sections,  each  of 
which  had  its  own  citadel.  After  two  had  de- 
clared war  against  two  others,  the  battle  raged 
until  one  party  captured  the  strongholds  of  the 
other.  This  was  done  as  soon  as  a  combatant 
had  set  foot  on  the  hearth  of  a  hostile  fortress. 

The  battle  itself  was  fought  with  stakes 
blunted  at  the  tops.  Every  one  touched  by  the 
weapon  of  an  enemy  must  declare  himself  a 
prisoner.  To  admit  this,  whenever  it  happened, 
was  a  point  of  honor. 

In  order  to  keep  all  the  combatants  in  action, 
a  fourth  division  was  added  soon  after  our 


112  IN   KEILHAU 

arrival,  and  of  course  it  was  necessary  to  build 
a  stronghold  like  the  others.  This  consisted  of 
a  hut  with  a  stone  roof,  in  which  fifteen  or 
twenty  boys  could  easily  find  room  and  rest,  a 
strong  wall  which  protected  us  up  to  our  fore- 
heads, and  surrounded  the  front  of  the  citadel  in 
a  semicircle,  as  well  as  a  large  altar-like  hearth 
which  rose  in  the  midst  of  the  semicircular  space 
surrounded  by  the  wall. 

We  built  this  fortress  ourselves,  except  that 
our  teacher  of  handicrafts,  the  sapper  Sabum, 
sometimes  gave  us  a  hint.  The  first  thing  was 
to  mark  out  the  plan,  then  with  the  aid  of  levers 
pry  the  rocks  out  of  the  fields,  and  by  means  of 
a  two-wheeled  cart  convey  them  to  the  site 
chosen,  fit  them  neatly  together,  stuff  the 
interstices  with  moss,  and  finally  put  on  a  roof 
made  of  pine  logs  which  we  felled  ourselves, 
earth,  moss,  and  branches. 

How  quickly  we  learned  to  use  the  plummet, 
take  levels,  hew  the  stone,  wield  the  axes!  And 
what  a  delight  it  was  when  the  work  was  finished 
and  we  saw  our  own  building!  Perhaps  we 
might  not  have  accomplished  it  without  the 
sapper,  but  every  boy  believed  that  if  he  were 
cast,  like  Robinson  Crusoe,  on  a  desert  island,  he 
could  build  a  hut  of  his  own. 

As  soon  as  this  citadel  was  completed,  prep- 
arations for  the  impending  battle  were  made. 
The  walls  and  encircling  walls  of  all  were  pre- 


IN  KEILHAU  113 

pared,  and  we  were  drilled  in  the  use  of  the  poles. 
This,  too,  afforded  us  the  utmost  pleasure. 
Touching  the  head  of  an  enemy  was  strictly 
prohibited ;  yet  many  a  slight  wound  was  given 
while  fighting  in  the  gloom  of  the  woods. 

Each  of  the  four  Bergwachts  had  its  leader. 
The  captain  of  the  first  was  director  of  the 
whole  game,  and  instead  of  a  lance  wore  a 
rapier.  I  considered  it  a  great  honor  when 
this  dignity  was  conferred  on  me.  One  of  its 
consequences  was  that  my  portrait  was  sketched 
by  "Old  linger"  in  the  so-called  "Bergwacht 
Book,"  which  contained  the  likenesses  of  all  my 
predecessors. 

During  the  summer  months  all  eyes,  even  as 
early  as  Thursday,  were  watching  the  weather. 
When  Saturday  evening  proved  pleasant  and 
Barop  had  given  his  consent,  there  was  great 
rejoicing  in  the  institute,  and  the  morning  hours 
must  have  yielded  the  teachers  little  satisfaction. 
Directly  after  dinner  everybody  seized  his  pole 
and  the  other  "Bergwacht"  equipments.  The 
alliances  were  formed  under  the  captain's 
guidance.  We  will  say  that  the  contest  was  to 
begin  with  the  first  and  third  Bergwacht  pitted 
against  the  second  and  fourth,  and  be  followed 
by  another,  with  the  first  and  second  against  the 
third  and  fourth. 

We  assembled  in  the  courtyard  just  before 
sunset.  Barop  made  a  little  speech,  exhorting 


114  IN  KEILHAU 

us  to  fight  steadily,  and  especially  to  observe  all 
the  rules  and  yield  ourselves  captives  as  soon  as 
an  enemy's  pole  touched  us.  He  never  neglected 
on  these  occasions  to  admonish  us  that,  should 
our  native  land  ever  need  the  armed  aid  of  her 
sons,  we  should  march  to  battle  as  joyously  as 
we  now  did  to  the  Bergwacht,  which  was  to 
train  us  to  skill  in  her  defense. 

Then  the  procession  set  off  in  good  order,  four 
or  six  pupils  harnessing  themselves  voluntarily 
to  the  cart  in  which  the  kegs  of  beer  were  dragged 
up  the  Kolm.  Off  we  went,  singing  merrily, 
and  at  the  top  the  women  were  waiting  for  us 
with  a  lunch.  Then  the  warriors  scattered,  the 
fire  was  lighted  on  every  hearth,  the  plan  of 
battle  was  discussed,  some  were  sent  out  to 
reconnoitre,  others  kept  to  defend  the  citadel. 

At  last  the  conflict  began.  Could  I  ever  for- 
get the  scenes  in  the  forest!  No  Indian  tribe  on 
the  war-path  ever  strained  every  sense  more 
keenly  to  watch,  surround,  and  surprise  the  foe. 
And  the  hand-to-hand  fray!  What  delight  it 
was  to  burst  from  the  shelter  of  the  thicket  and 
touch  with  our  poles  two,  three,  or  four  of  the 
surprised  enemies  ere  they  thought  of  defense! 
And  what  self-denial  it  required  when — spite  of 
the  most  skillful  parry — we  felt  the  touch  of  the 
pole,  to  confess  it,  and  be  led  off  as  a  prisoner! 

Voices  and  shouts  echoed  through  the  woods, 
and  the  glare  of  five  fires  pierced  the  darkness — 


IN  KEILHAU  115 

five — for  flames  were  also  blazing  where  the 
women  were  cooking  the  supper.  But  the  light 
was  brightest,  the  shouts  of  the  combatants 
were  loudest,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  forts.  The 
effort  of  the  besiegers  was  to  spy  out  unguarded 
places,  and  occupy  the  attention  of  the  garrison 
so  that  a  comrade  might  leap  over  the  wall  and 
set  his  foot  on  the  hearth.  The  object  of  the 
garrison  was  to  prevent  this. 

What  was  that?  An  exulting  cry  rang  through 
the  night  air.  A  warrior  had  succeeded  in  pene- 
trating the  hostile  citadel  untouched  and  setting 
his  foot  on  the  hearth ! 

Two  or  three  times  we  enjoyed  the  delight  of 
battle;  and  when  towards  midnight  it  closed,  we 
threw  ourselves — glowing  from  the  strife  and 
blackened  by  the  smoke  of  the  hearth  fires — 
down  on  the  greensward  around  the  women's 
fire,  where  boiled  eggs  and  other  good  things 
were  served,  and  meanwhile  the  mugs  of  foam- 
ing beer  were  passed  around  the  circle.  One 
patriotic  song  after  another  was  sung,  and  at 
last  each  Bergwacht  withdrew  to  its  citadel  and 
lay  down  on  the  moss  to  sleep  under  the  shelter- 
ing roof.  Two  sentinels  marched  up  and  down, 
relieved  every  half  hour  until  the  early  dawn  of 
the  summer  Sunday  brightened  the  eastern  sky. 

Then  "Huup!"— the  Keilhau  shout  which 
summoned  us  back  to  the  institute — rang  out, 
and  a  hymn,  the  march  back,  a  bath  in  the  pond, 


116  IN  KEILHAU 

and  finally  the  most  delicious  rest,  if  good  luck 
permitted,  on  the  heaps  of  hay  which  had  not 
been  gathered  in.  On  the  Sunday  following  the 
Bergwacht  we  were  not  required  to  attend 
church,  where  we  should  merely  have  gone  to 
sleep.  Barop,  though  usually  very  strict  in  the 
observance  of  religious  duties,  never  demanded 
anything  for  the  sake  of  mere  appearances. 

And  the  bed  of  my  own  planning!  It  consisted 
of  wood  and  stones,  and  was  covered  with  a 
thick  layer  of  moss,  raised  at  the  head  in  a  slant- 
ing direction.  It  looked  like  other  beds,  but  the 
place  where  it  stood  requires  some  description, 
for  it  was  a  Keilhau  specialty,  a  favor  be- 
stowed by  our  teachers  on  the  pupils. 

Midway  up  the  slope  of  the  Kolm  where  our 
citadels  stood,  on  the  side  facing  the  institute, 
each  boy  had  a  piece  of  ground  where  he  might 
build,  dig,  or  plant,  as  he  chose.  They  descended 
from  one  to  another:  Ludo's  and  mine  had 
come  down  from  Martin  and  another  pupil  who 
left  the  school  at  the  same  time.  But  I  was  not 
satisfied  with  what  my  predecessors  had  created. 
I  spared  the  beautiful  vine  which  twined  around 
a  fir-tree,  but  in  the  place  of  a  flower-bed  and  a 
bench  which  I  found  there  Ludo  and  I  built  a 
hearth,  and  for  myself  the  bed  already  men- 
tioned, which  my  brother  of  course  was  permitted 
to  occupy  with  me. 

How  many  hours  I  have  spent  on  its  soft 


IN  KEILHAU  117 

cushions,  reading  or  dreaming  or  imagining 
things!  If  I  could  only  remember  them  as  they 
hovered  before  me,  what  epics  and  tales  I  could 
write! 

No  doubt  we  ought  to  be  grateful  to  God  for 
this  as  well  as  for  so  many  other  blessings;  but 
why  are  we  permitted  to  be  young  only  once  in 
our  lives,  only  once  to  be  borne  aloft  on  the 
wings  of  a  tireless  power  of  imagination,  so 
easily  satisfied  with  ourselves,  so  full  of  love, 
faith,  and  hope,  so  open  to  every  joy  and  so 
blind  to  every  care  and  doubt,  and  everything 
which  threatens  to  cloud  and  extinguish  the 
sunlight  in  the  soul? 

Dear  bed  in  my  plot  of  ground  at  Keilhau,  you 
ought,  in  accordance  with  a  remark  of  Barop,  to 
cause  me  serious  self-examination,  for  he  said, 
probably  with  no  thought  of  my  mossy  couch, 
"From  the  way  in  which  the  pupils  use  their 
plots  of  ground  and  the  things  they  place  in  them, 
I  can  form  a  very  correct  opinion  of  their  dis- 
positions and  tastes."  But  you,  beloved  couch, 
should  have  the  best  place  in  my  garden  if  you 
could  restore  me  but  for  one  half  hour  the 
dreams  which  visited  me  on  your  gray-green 
pillows,  when  I  was  a  lad  of  fourteen  or  fifteen. 

I  have  passed  over  the  Rudolstadt  Schutzen- 
fest,  its  music,  its  merry-go-round,  and  the 
capital  sausages  cooked  in  the  open  air,  and 
have  intentionally  omitted  many  other  delightful 


118  IN  KEILHAU 

things.  I  cannot  help  wondering  now  where  we 
found  time  for  all  these  summer  pleasures. 

True,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  days  at  Whit- 
suntide, we  had  no  vacation  from  Easter  until 
the  first  of  September.  But  even  in  August  one 
thought,  one  joyous  anticipation,  filled  every 
heart. 

The  annual  autumn  excursion  was  coming! 

After  we  were  divided  into  traveling  parties 
and  had  ascertained  which  teacher  was  to 
accompany  us — a  matter  that  seemed  very 
important — we  diligently  practiced  the  most 
beautiful  songs;  and  on  many  an  evening  Barop 
or  Middendorf  told  us  of  the  places  through 
which  we  were  to  pass,  their  history,  and  the 
legends  which  were  associated  with  them.  They 
were  aided  in  this  by  one  of  the  sub-teachers, 
Bagge,  a  poetically  gifted  young  clergyman,  who 
possessed  great  personal  beauty  and  a  heart 
capable  of  entering  into  the  intellectual  life  of 
the  boys  who  were  intrusted  to  his  care. 

He  instructed  us  in  the  German  language  and 
literature.  Possibly  because  he  thought  that  he 
discovered  in  me  a  talent  for  poetic  expression, 
he  showed  me  unusual  favor,  even  read  his  own 
verses  aloud  to  me,  and  set  me  special  tasks  in 
verse-writing,  which  he  criticised  with  me  when 
I  had  finished.  The  first  long  poem  I  wrote  of 
my  own  impulse  was  a  description  of  the  wonder- 
ful forms  assumed  by  the  stalactite  formations 


IN   KEILHAU  119 

in  the  Sophie  Cave  in  Switzerland,  which  we  had 
visited.  Unfortunately,  the  book  containing  it 
is  lost,  but  I  remember  the  following  lines, 
referring  to  the  industrious  sprites  which  I 
imagined  as  the  sculptors  of  the  wondrous 
shapes: 

"Priestly  robes  and  a  high  altar  the  sprites 

created  here, 
And  in  the  rock-hewn  cauldron  poured  the 

holy  water  clear, 
Within  whose  depths  reflected,  by  the  torches' 

flickering  rays, 
Beneath  the  surface  glimmering  my  own  face 

met  my  gaze; 
And  when  I  thus  beheld  it,  so  small  it  seemed 

to  me, 
That  yonder  stone-carved  giant  looked  on  with 

mocking  glee. 
Ay,   laugh,  if  that's  your   pleasure,   Goliath 

huge  and  old, 
/  soon  shall  fare  forth  singing,  you  still  your 

place  must  hold." 

Another  sub-teacher  was  also  a  favorite 
traveling  companion.  His  name  was  Schaffner, 
and  he,  too,  with  his  thick,  black  beard,  was  a 
handsome  man.  To  those  pupils  who,  like  my 
brother  Ludo,  were  pursuing  the  study  of  the 
sciences,  he,  the  mathematician  of  the  institute, 
must  have  been  an  unusually  clear  and  com- 


120  IN  KEILHAU 

petent  teacher.  I  was  under  his  charge  only  a 
short  time,  and  his  branch  of  knowledge  was 
unfortunately  my  weak  point.  Shortly  before 
my  departure  he  married  a  younger  sister  of 
Barop's  wife,  and  established  an  educational 
institution  very  similar  to  Keilhau  at  Gumperda, 
at  Schwarza  in  Thuringia. 

Herr  Vodoz,  our  French  teacher,  a  cheery, 
vigorous  Swiss,  with  a  perfect  forest  of  curls  on 
his  head,  was  also  one  of  the  most  popular 
guides;  and  so  was  Dr.  Budstedt,  who  gave 
instruction  in  the  classics.  He  was  not  a  hand- 
some man,  but  he  deserved  the  name  of  "anima 
Candida."  He  used  to  storm  at  the  slightest 
occasion,  but  he  was  quickly  appeased  again. 
As  a  teacher  I  think  he  did  his  full  duty,  but  I 
no  longer  remember  anything  about  his  methods. 

The  traveling  party  which  Barop  accom- 
panied were  very  proud  of  the  honor.  Midden- 
dorf's  age  permitted  him  to  go  only  with  the 
youngest  pupils,  who  made  the  shortest  trips. 

These  excursions  led  the  little  boys  into  the 
Thuringian  forest,  the  Hartz  Mountains,  Sax- 
ony and  Bohemia,  Nuremberg  and  Wurzburg, 
and  the  older  ones  by  way  of  Baireuth  and 
Regensburg  to  Ulm.  The  large  boys  in  the  first 
traveling  party,  which  was  usually  headed  by 
Barop  himself,  extended  their  journey  as  far  as 
Switzerland. 

I  visited  in  after-years  nearly  all  the  places  to 


IN  KEILHAU  121 

which  we  went  at  that  time,  and  some,  with 
which  important  events  in  my  life  were  asso- 
ciated, I  shall  mention  later.  It  would  not  be 
easy  to  reproduce  from  memory  the  first  impres- 
sions received  without  mingling  with  them 
more  recent  ones. 

Thus,  I  well  remember  how  Nuremberg 
affected  me  and  how  much  it  pleased  me.  I 
express  this  in  my  description  of  the  journey; 
but  in  the  author  of  "Gred,"  who  often  sought 
this  delightful  city,  and  made  himself  familiar 
with  life  there  in  the  days  of  its  mediaeval 
prosperity,  these  childish  impressions  became 
something  wholly  new.  And  yet  they  are 
inseparable  from  the  conception  and  contents 
of  the  Nuremberg  novel. 

My  mother  kept  the  old  books  containing  the 
accounts  of  these  excursions,  which  occupied 
from  two  to  three  weeks,  and  they  possessed 
a  certain  interest  for  me,  principally  because 
they  proved  how  skillfully  our  teachers  under- 
stood how  to  carry  out  Froebel's  principles  on 
these  occasions.  Our  records  of  travel  also 
explain  in  detail  what  this  educator  meant  by 
the  words  "unity  with  life";  for  our  attention 
was  directed  not  only  to  beautiful  views  or 
magnificent  works  of  art  and  architecture,  but 
to  noteworthy  public  institutions  or  great 
manufactories.  Our  teachers  took  the  utmost 
care  that  we  should  understand  what  we  saw. 


122  IN  KEILHAU 

The  cultivation  of  the  fields,  the  building  of 
the  peasants'  huts,  the  national  costumes,  were 
all  brought  under  our  notice,  thus  making  us 
familiar  with  life  outside  of  the  school,  and 
opening  our  eyes  to  things  concerning  which  the 
pupil  of  an  ordinary  model  grammar  school 
rarely  inquires,  yet  which  are  of  great  importance 
to  the  world  to  which  we  belong. 

Our  material  life  was  sensibly  arranged. 

During  the  rest  at  noon  a  cold  lunch  was 
served,  and  an  abundant  hot  meal  was  not 
enjoyed  until  evening. 

In  the  large  cities  we  dined  at  good  hotels  at 
the  table  d'hote,  and — as  in  Dresden,  Prague, 
and  Coburg — were  taken  to  the  theater. 

But  we  often  spent  the  night  in  the  villages, 
and  then  chairs  were  turned  upside  down,  loose 
straw  was  spread  on  the  backs  and  over  the 
floor,  and,  wrapped  in  the  shawl  which  almost 
every  boy  carried  buckled  to  his  knapsack,  we 
slept,  only  half  undressed,  as  comfortably  as  in 
the  softest  bed. 

While  walking  we  usually  sang  songs,  among 
them  very  nonsensical  ones,  if  only  we  could 
keep  step  well  to  their  time.  Often  one  of  the 
teachers  told  us  a  story.  Schaffner  and  Bagge 
could  do  this  best,  but  we  often  met  other 
pedestrians  with  whom  we  entered  into  con- 
versation. How  delightful  is  the  memory  of 
these  tramps!  Progress  on  foot  is  slow,  but  not 


IN  KEILHAU  123 

only  do  we  see  ten  times  better  than  from  a 
carriage  or  the  window  of  a  car,  but  we  hear  and 
learn  something  while  talking  with  the  me- 
chanics, citizens,  and  peasants  who  are  going 
the  same  way,  or  the  landlords,  bar-maids,  and 
table  companions  we  meet  in  the  taverns, 
whose  guests  live  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
country  instead  of  the  international  pattern  of 
our  great  hotels. 

As  a  young  married  man,  I  always  anticipated 
as  the  greatest  future  happiness  taking  pedes- 
trian tours  with  my  sons  like  the  Keilhau  ones; 
but  Fate  ordained  otherwise. 

On  our  return  to  the  institute  we  were  received 
with  great  rejoicing;  and  how  much  the  different 
parties,  now  united,  had  to  tell  one  another! 

Study  recommenced  on  the  first  of  October, 
and  during  the  leisure  days  before  that  time  the 
village  church  festival  was  celebrated  under'  the 
village  linden,  with  plenty  of  cakes,  and  a  dance 
of  the  peasants,  in  which  we  older  ones  took  part. 

But  we  were  obliged  to  devote  several  hours 
of  every  day  to  describing  our  journey  for  our 
relatives  at  home.  Each  one  filled  a  large  book, 
which  was  to  be  neatly  written.  The  exercise 
afforded  better  practice  in  describing  personal 
experiences  than  a  dozen  essays  which  had  been 
previously  read  with  the  teacher. 


INFANT  GARDENS 

Reprinted  by  permission  from  Dickens  as  an  Educator,  by  James  L. 
Hughes. 

DICKENS  wrote  the  following  article 
for  Household  Words  in  1855.    It 
reveals  a  surprising  mastery  of  the 
vital  principles  of  "  the  new  educa- 
tion."   He  wrote  the  article  to  direct  attention 
to  the  work  of  the  Baroness  Von  Billow,  who  had 
come  to  England  to  introduce  the  kindergarten 
system.     Dickens's  works  show  that  he  had  long 
been  a  close  student  of  Froebel's  philosophy. 
The  article  must  always  take  a  front  rank  as  a 
strikingly  clear,  comprehensive,  and  sympathetic 
exposition  of  the  principles  and  processes  of  the 
kindergarten.     Kindergartens  were  called  "in- 
fant gardens"  when  first  introduced  into  Eng- 
land. 

Seventy  or  eighty  years  ago  there  was  a  son 
born  to  the  Pastor  Froebel,  who  exercised  his 
calling  in  the  village  of  Oberweissbach,  in  the 
principality  of  Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.  The 
son,  who  was  called  Frederick,  proved  to  be  a 
child  of  unusually  quick  sensibilities,  keenly 
alive  to  all  impressions,  hurt  by  discords  of  all 


INFANT  GARDENS  125 

kinds;  by  quarreling  of  men,  women,  and 
children,  by  ill-assorted  colors,  inharmonious 
sounds.  He  was,  to  a  morbid  extent,  capable  of 
receiving  delight  from  the  beauties  of  Nature, 
and,  as  a  very  little  boy,  would  spend  much  of 
his  time  in  studying  and  enjoying,  for  their  own 
sake,  the  lines  and  angles  in  the  Gothic  archi- 
tecture of  his  father's  church.  Who  does  not 
know  what  must  be  the  central  point  of  all  the 
happiness  of  such  a  child?  The  voice  of  its 
mother  is  the  sweetest  of  sweet  sounds,  the  face 
of  its  mother  is  the  fairest  of  fair  sights,  the 
loving  touch  of  her  lip  is  the  symbol  to  it  of  all 
pleasures  of  the  sense  and  of  the  soul.  Against 
the  thousand  shocks  and  terrors  that  are  ready 
to  afflict  a  child  too  exquisitely  sensitive,  the 
mother  is  the  sole  protectress,  and  her  help  is 
all-sufficient.  Frederick  Froebel  lost  his  mother 
in  the  first  years  of  his  childhood,  and  his  youth 
was  tortured  with  incessant  craving  for  a 
sympathy  that  was  not  to  be  found. 

The  Pastor  Froebel  was  too  busy  to  attend  to 
all  the  little  fancies  of  his  son.  It  was  his  good 
practice  to  be  the  peaceful  arbiter  of  the  disputes 
occurring  in  the  village,  and,  as  he  took  his  boy 
with  him  when  he  went  out,  he  made  the  child 
familiar  with  all  the  quarrels  of  the  parish.  Thus 
were  suggested,  week  after  week,  comparisons 
between  the  harmony  of  Nature  and  the  spite 
and  scandal  current  among  men.  A  dreamy, 


126  INFANT  GARDENS 

fervent  love  of  God,  a  fanciful  boy's  wish  that  he 
could  make  men  quiet  and  affectionate,  took 
strong  possession  of  young  Frederick,  and  grew 
with  his  advancing  years.  He  studied  a  good 
deal.  Following  out  his  love  of  Nature,  he 
sought  to  become  acquainted  with  the  sciences 
by  which  her  ways  and  aspects  are  explained; 
his  contemplation  of  the  architecture  of  the 
village  church  ripened  into  a  thorough  taste  for 
mathematics,  and  he  enjoyed  agricultural  life 
practically,  as  a  worker  on  his  father's  land.  At 
last  he  went  to  Pestalozzi's  school  in  Switzerland. 
Then  followed  troublous  times,  and  patriotic 
war  in  Germany,  where  even  poets  fought 
against  the  enemy  with  lyre  and  sword.  The 
quick  instincts,  and  high,  generous  impulses  of 
Frederick  Froebel  were  engaged  at  once,  and 
he  went  out  to  battle  on  behalf  of  Fatherland  in 
the  ranks  of  the  boldest,  for  he  was  one  of 
Lutzow's  regiment — a  troop  of  riders  that  earned 
by  its  daring  an  immortal  name.  Their  fame 
has  even  penetrated  to  our  English  concert 
rooms,  where  many  a  fair  English  maiden  has 
been  made  familiar  with  the  dare-devil  patriots 
of  which  it  was  composed  by  the  refrain  of  the 
German  song  in  honor  of  their  prowess — "Das 
ist  Lutzow's  fliegende,  wilde  Jagd."  Having 
performed  his  duty  to  his  country  in  the  ranks 
of  its  defenders,  Froebel  fell  back  upon  his  love 
of  nature  and  his  study  of  triangles,  squares,  and 


INFANT  GARDENS  127 

cubes.  He  had  made  interest  that  placed  him  in 
a  position  which,  in  many  respects,  curiously 
satisfied  his  tastes — that  of  Inspector  to  the 
Mineralogical  Museum  in  Berlin.  The  post  was 
lucrative,  its  duties  were  agreeable  to  him,  but 
the  object  of  his  life's  desire  was  yet  to  be 
attained. 

For  the  unsatisfied  cravings  of  his  childhood 
had  borne  fruit  within  him.  He  remembered 
the  quick  feelings  and  perceptions,  the  incessant 
nimbleness  of  mind  proper  to  his  first  years,  and 
how  he  had  been  hemmed  in  and  cramped  for 
want  of  right  encouragement  and  sympathy. 
He  remembered,  too,  the  ill-conditioned  people 
whose  disputes  had  been  made  part  of  his 
experience,  the  dogged  children,  cruel  fathers, 
sullen  husbands,  angry  wives,  quarrelsome 
neighbors;  and  surely  he  did  not  err  when  he 
connected  the  two  memories  together.  How 
many  men  and  women  go  about  pale-skinned 
and  weak  of  limb,  because  their  physical  health 
during  infancy  and  childhood  was  not  established 
by  judicious  management!  It  is  just  so,  thought 
Froebel,  with  our  minds.  There  would  be  fewer 
sullen,  quarrelsome,  dull-witted  men  or  women 
if  there  were  fewer  children  starved  or  fed 
improperly  in  heart  and  brain.  To  improve 
society — to  make  men  and  women  better — it  is 
requisite  to  begin  quite  at  the  beginning,  and 
to  secure  for  them  a  wholesome  education  dur- 


128  INFANT  GARDENS 

ing  infancy  and  childhood.  Strongly  possessed 
with  this  idea,  and  feeling  that  the  usual 
methods  of  education,  by  restraint  and  penalty, 
aim  at  the  accomplishment  of  far  too  little,  and 
by  checking  natural  development  even  do  posi- 
tive mischief,  Froebel  determined  upon  the 
devotion  of  his  entire  energy,  throughout  his 
life,  to  a  strong  effort  for  the  establishment 
of  schools  that  should  do  justice  and  honor  to 
the  nature  of  a  child.  He  resigned  his  appoint- 
ment at  Berlin,  and  threw  himself,  with  only 
the  resources  of  a  fixed  will,  a  full  mind,  and  a 
right  purpose,  on  the  chances  of  the  future. 

At  Keilhau,  a  village  of  Thuringia,  he  took 
a  peasant's  cottage,  in  which  he  proposed  to 
establish  his  first  school — a  village  boys'  school. 
It  was  necessary  to  enlarge  the  cottage;  and, 
while  that  was  being  done,  Froebel  lived  on 
potatoes,  bread,  and  water.  So  scanty  was  his 
stock  of  capital  on  which  his  enterprise  was 
started,  that,  in  order  honestly  to  pay  his  work- 
men, he  was  forced  to  carry  his  principle  of  self- 
denial  to  the  utmost.  He  bought  each  week 
two  large  rye  loaves,  and  marked  on  them  with 
chalk  each  day's  allowance.  Perhaps  he  is  the 
only  man  in  the  world  who  ever,  in  so  literal  a 
way,  chalked  out  for  himself  a  scheme  of  diet. 

After  laboring  for  many  years  among  the 
boys  at  Keilhau,  Froebel — married  to  a  wife  who 
shared  his  zeal,  and  made  it  her  labor  to  help  to 


INFANT  GARDENS  129 

the  utmost  in  carrying  out  the  idea  of  her 
husband's  life — felt  that  there  was  more  to  be 
accomplished.  His  boys  came  to  him  with  many 
a  twist  in  mind  or  temper,  caught  by  wriggling 
up  through  the  bewilderments  of  a  neglected 
infancy.  The  first  sproutings  of  the  human 
mind  need  thoughtful  culture;  there  is  no  period 
of  life,  indeed,  in  which  culture  is  so  essential. 
And  yet,  in  nine  out  of  ten  cases,  it  is  precisely 
while  the  little  blades  of  thought  and  buds  of 
love  are  frail  and  tender  that  no  heed  is  taken  to 
maintain  the  soil  about  them  wholesome,  and 
the  air  about  them  free  from  blight.  There  must 
be  Infant  Gardens,  Froebel  said;  and  straight- 
way formed  his  plans,  and  set  to  work  for  their 
accomplishment. 

He  had  become  familiar  in  cottages  with  the 
instincts  of  mothers,  and  the  faculties  with 
which  young  children  are  endowed  by  Nature. 
He  never  lost  his  own  childhood  from  memory, 
and,  being  denied  the  blessing  of  an  infant  of  his 
own,  regarded  all  the  little  ones  with  equal  love. 
The  direction  of  his  boys'  school — now  flourish- 
ing vigorously — he  committed  to  the  care  of  a 
relation,  while  he  set  out  upon  a  tour  through 
parts  of  Germany  and  Switzerland  to  lecture 
upon  infant  training  and  to  found  Infant 
Gardens  where  he  could.  He  founded  them  at 
Hamburg,  Leipzig,  Dresden,  and  elsewhere. 
While  laboring  in  this  way  he  was  always 


130  INFANT  GARDENS 

exercising  the  same  spirit  of  self-denial  that  had 
marked  the  outset  of  his  educational  career. 
Whatever  he  could  earn  was  for  the  children,  to 
promote  their  cause.  He  would  not  spend  upon 
himself  the  money  that  would  help  in  the 
accomplishment  of  his  desire,  that  childhood 
should  be  made  as  happy  as  God  in  his  wisdom 
had  designed  it  should  be,  and  that  full  play 
should  be  given  to  its  energies  and  powers. 
Many  a  night's  lodging  he  took,  while  on  his 
travels,  in  the  open  fields,  with  an  umbrella  for 
his  bedroom  and  a  knapsack  for  his  pillow. 

So  beautiful  a  self-devotion  to  a  noble  cause 
won  recognition.  One  of  the  best  friends  of  his 
old  age  was  the  Duchess  Ida  of  Weimar,  sister  to 
Queen  Adelaide  of  England,  and  his  death  took 
place  on  the  21st  of  June,  three  years  ago,  at  a 
country  seat  of  the  Duke  of  Meiningen.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy,  peacefully,  upon  a 
summer  day,  delighting  in  the  beautiful  scenery 
that  lay  outside  his  window,  and  in  the  flowers 
brought  by  friends  to  his  bedside.  Nature,  he 
said,  bore  witness  to  the  promises  of  revelation. 
So  Froebel  passed  away, 

"And  Nature's  pleasant  robe  of  green, 
Humanity's  appointed  shroud,  enwraps 
His  monument  and  his  memory." 

Wise  and  good  people  have  been  endeavoring 
of  late  to  obtain  in  this  country  a  hearing  for  the 


INFANT  GARDENS  131 

views  of  this  good  teacher,  and  a  trial  for  his 
system.  Only  fourteen  years  have  elapsed  since 
the  first  Infant  Garden  was  established,  and 
already  Infant  Gardens  have  been  introduced 
into  most  of  the  larger  towns  of  Germany.  Let 
us  now  welcome  them  with  all  our  hearts  to 
England. 

The  whole  principle  of  Froebel's  teaching  is 
based  on  a  perfect  love  for  children,  and  a  full 
and  genial  recognition  of  their  nature,  a  deter- 
mination that  their  hearts  shall  not  be  starved 
for  want  of  sympathy;  that  since  they  are  by 
Infinite  Wisdom  so  created  as  to  find  happiness 
in  the  active  exercise  and  development  of  all 
their  faculties,  we,  who  have  children  round 
about  us,  shall  no  longer  repress  their  energies, 
tie  up  their  bodies,  shut  their  mouths,  and 
declare  that  they  worry  us  by  the  incessant 
putting  of  the  questions  which  the  Father  of  us 
all  has  placed  in  their  mouths,  so  that  the 
teachable  one  forever  cries  to  those  who  under- 
take to  be  its  guide,  "What  shall  I  do?"  To  be 
ready  at  all  times  with  a  wise  answer  to  that 
question,  ought  to  be  the  ambition  of  every  one 
upon  whom  a  child's  nature  depends  for  the 
means  of  healthy  growth.  The  frolic  of  childhood 
is  not  pure  exuberance  and  waste.  "There  is 
often  a  high  meaning  in  childish  play,"  said 
Froebel.  Let  us  study  it,  and  act  upon  hints — 
or  more  than  hints — that  Nature  gives.  They 


132  INFANT  GARDENS 

fall  into  a  fatal  error  who  despise  all  that  a  child 
does  as  frivolous.  Nothing  is  trifling  that  forms 
part  of  a  child's  life. 

"That  which  the  mother  awakens  and  fosters, 

When  she  joyously  sings  and  plays; 
That  which  her  love  so  tenderly  shelters, 
Bears  a  blessing  to  future  days." 

We  quote  Froebel  again,  in  these  lines,  and 
we  quote  others  in  which  he  bids  us 

"Break  not  suddenly  the  dream 
The  blessed  dream  of  infancy; 
In  which  the  soul  unites  with  all 
In  earth,  or  heaven,  or  sea,  or  sky." 

But  enough  has  already  been  said  to  show 
what  he  would  have  done.  How  would  he  do  it? 

Of  course  it  must  be  borne  in  mind,  through- 
out the  following  sketch  of  Froebel's  scheme  of 
infant  training,  that  certain  qualities  of  mind 
are  necessary  to  the  teacher.  Let  nobody 
suppose  that  any  scheme  of  education  can  attain 
its  end,  as  a  mere  scheme,  apart  from  the 
qualifications  of  those  persons  by  whom  it  is  to 
be  carried  out.  Very  young  children  can  be 
trained  successfully  by  no  person  who  wants 
hearty  liking  for  them,  and  who  can  take  part 
only  with  a  proud  sense  of  restraint  in  their 
chatter  and  their  play.  It  is  in  truth  no  con- 
descension to  become  in  spirit  as  a  child  with 


INFANT  GARDENS  133 

children,  and  nobody  is  fit  to  teach  the  young 
who  holds  a  different  opinion.  Unvarying 
cheerfulness  and  kindness,  the  refinement  that 
belongs  naturally  to  a  pure,  well-constituted 
woman's  mind  are  absolutely  necessary  to  the 
management  of  one  of  Froebel's  Infant  Gardens. 

Then,  again,  let  it  be  understood  that  Froebel 
never  wished  his  system  of  training  to  be  con- 
verted into  mere  routine  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
that  spontaneous  action  in  which  more  than 
half  of  every  child's  education  must  consist.  It 
was  his  purpose  to  show  the  direction  in  which 
it  was  most  useful  to  proceed,  how  best  to  assist 
the  growth  of  the  mind  by  following  the  indica- 
tions Nature  furnishes.  Nothing  was  farther 
from  his  design,  in  doing  that,  than  the  imposi- 
tion of  a  check  on  any  wholesome  energies. 
Blindman's  buff,  romps,  puzzles,  fairy  tales, 
everything  in  fact  that  exercises  soundly  any  set 
of  the  child's  faculties,  must  be  admitted  as  a 
part  of  Froebel's  system.  The  cardinal  point  of 
his  doctrine  is — take  care  that  you  do  not 
exercise  a  part  only  of  the  child's  mind  or  body; 
but  take  thorough  pains  to  see  that  you  encour- 
age the  development  of  its  whole  nature.  If 
pains — and  great  pains — be  not  taken  to  see 
that  this  is  done,  probably  it  is  not  done.  The 
Infant  Gardens  are  designed  to  help  in  doing  it. 

The  mind  of  a  young  child  must  not  be 
trained  at  the  expense  of  its  body.  Every 


134  INFANT  GARDENS 

muscle  ought,  if  possible,  to  be  brought  daily 
into  action;  and,  in  the  case  of  a  child  suffered 
to  obey  the  laws  of  Nature  by  free  tumbling  and 
romping,  that  is  done  in  the  best  manner  possible. 
Every  mother  knows  that  by  carrying  an  infant 
always  on  the  same  arm  its  growth  is  liable  to  be 
perverted.  Every  father  knows  the  child's 
delight  at  being  vigorously  danced  up  and  down, 
and  much  of  this  delight  arises  from  the  play 
then  given  to  its  muscles.  As  the  child  grows, 
the  most  unaccustomed  positions  into  which  it 
can  be  safely  twisted  are  those  from  which  it  will 
receive  the  greatest  pleasure.  That  is  because 
play  is  thus  given  to  the  muscles  in  a  form  they 
do  not  often  get,  and  Nature — always  watchful 
on  the  child's  behalf — cries,  We  will  have  some 
more  of  that.  It  does  us  good.  As  it  is  with  the 
body,  so  it  is  with  the  mind,  and  Froebel's 
scheme  of  infant  education  is,  for  both,  a  system 
of  gymnastics. 

He  begins  with  the  newborn  infant,  and 
demands  that,  if  possible,  it  shall  not  be  taken 
from  its  mother.  He  sets  his  face  strongly 
against  the  custom  of  committing  the  child 
during  the  tenderest  and  most  impressible  period 
of  its  whole  life  to  the  care  and  companionship 
of  an  ignorant  nursemaid,  or  of  servants  who 
have  not  the  mother's  instinct,  or  the  knowledge 
that  can  tell  them  how  to  behave  in  its  presence. 
Only  the  mother  should,  if  possible,  be  the 


INFANT  GARDENS  135 

child's  chief  companion  and  teacher  during  at 
least  the  first  three  years  of  its  life,  and  she 
should  have  thought  it  worth  while  to  prepare 
herself  for  the  right  fulfillment  of  her  duties. 
Instead  of  tambour  work,  or  Arabic,  or  any 
other  useless  thing  that  may  be  taught  at  girls' 
schools,  surely  it  would  be  a  great  blessing  if 
young  ladies  were  to  spend  some  of  their  time  in 
an  Infant  Garden,  that  might  be  attached  to 
every  academy.  Let  them  all  learn  from 
Froebel  what  are  the  requirements  of  a  child, 
and  be  prepared  for  the  wise  performance  of 
what  is  after  all  to  be  the  most  momentous 
business  of  their  lives. 

The  carrying  out  of  this  hint  is  indeed  neces- 
sary to  the  complete  and  general  adoption  of  the 
infant-garden  system.  Froebel  desired  his 
infants  to  be  taught  only  by  women,  and 
required  that  they  should  be  women  as  well 
educated  and  refined  as  possible,  preferring 
amiable  unmarried  girls.  Thus  he  would  have 
our  maidens  spending  some  part  of  their  time  in 
playing  with  little  ones,  learning  to  understand 
them,  teaching  them  to  understand;  our  wives 
he  would  have  busy  at  home,  making  good  use 
of  their  experience,  developing  carefully  and 
thoughtfully  the  minds  of  their  children,  sole 
teachers  for  the  first  three  years  of  their  life; 
afterward,  either  helped  by  throwing  them 
among  other  children  in  an  Infant  Garden  for 


136  INFANT  GARDENS 

two  or  three  hours  every  day,  or,  if  there  be  at 
home  no  lack  of  little  company,  having  Infant 
Gardens  of  their  own. 

Believing  that  it  is  natural  to  address  infants 
in  song,  Froebel  encouraged  nursery  songs,  and 
added  to  their  number.  Those  contributed  by 
him  to  the  common  stock  were  of  course  con- 
tributed for  the  sake  of  some  use  that  he  had  for 
each;  in  the  same  spirit — knowing  play  to  be 
essential  to  a  child — he  invented  games;  and 
those  added  by  him  to  the  common  stock  are  all 
meant  to  be  used  for  direct  teaching.  It  does 
not  in  the  least  follow,  and  it  was  not  the  case, 
that  he  would  have  us  make  all  nursery  rhymes 
and  garden  sports  abstrusely  didactic.  He 
meant  no  more  than  to  put  his  own  teaching 
into  songs  and  games,  to  show  clearly  that 
whatever  is  necessary  to  be  said  or  done  to  a 
young  child  may  be  said  or  done  merrily  or 
playfully ;  and  although  he  was  essentially  a 
schoolmaster,  he  had  no  faith  in  the  terrors 
commonly  associated  with  his  calling. 

Froebel's  nursery  songs  are  associated  almost 
invariably  with  bodily  activity  on  the  part  of  the 
child.  He  is  always,  as  soon  as  he  becomes  old 
enough,  to  do  something  while  the  song  is  going 
on,  and  the  movements  assigned  to  him  are 
cunningly  contrived  so  that  not  even  a  joint  of 
a  little  finger  shall  be  left  unexercised.  If  he  be 
none  the  better,  he  is  none  the  worse  for  this. 


INFANT  GARDENS  137 

The  child  is  indeed  unlucky  that  depends  only 
on  care  of  this  description  for  the  full  play  of  its 
body;  but  there  are  some  children  so  unfortu- 
nate, and  there  are  some  parents  who  will  be 
usefully  reminded  by  those  songs,  of  the  necessity 
of  procuring  means  for  the  free  action  of  every 
joint  and  limb.  What  is  done  for  the  body  is 
done  in  the  same  spirit  for  the  mind,  and  ideas 
are  formed,  not  by  song  only.  The  beginning  of 
a  most  ingenious  course  of  mental  training  by  a 
series  of  playthings  is  made  almost  from  the 
very  first. 

A  box  containing  six  soft"  balls,  differing  in 
color,  is  given  to  the ..  child.  It  is  Froebel's 
"first  gift."  Long  before  it  can  speak  the  infant 
can  hold  one  of  these  little  balls  in  its  fingers, 
become  familiar  with  its  spherical  shape  and  its 
color.  It  stands  still,  it  springs,  it  rolls.  As 
the  child  grows,  he  can  roll  it  and  run  after  it, 
watch  it  with  sharp  eyes,  and  compare  the  color 
of  one  ball  with  the  color  of  another,  prick  up 
his  ears  at  the  songs  connected  with  his  various 
games  with  it,  use  it  as  a  bond  of  playfellowship 
with  other  children,  practice  with  it  first  efforts 
at  self-denial,  and  so  forth.  One  ball  is  sus- 
pended by  a  string,  it  jumps — it  rolls — here — 
there — over — up;  turns  left — turns  right — ding- 
dong — tip- tap — falls — spins;  fifty  ideas  may  be 
connected  with  it.  The  six  balls,  three  of  the 
primary  colors,  three  of  the  secondary,  may  be 


138  INFANT  GARDENS 

built  up  in  a  pyramid ;  they  may  be  set  rolling, 
and  used  in  combination  in  a  great  many 
ways  giving  sufficient  exercise  to  the  young  wits 
that  have  all  knowledge  and  experience  before 
them. 

Froebel's  "second  gift"  is  a  small  box  con- 
taining a  ball,  cube,  and  roller  (the  last  two 
perforated),  with  a  stick  and  string.  With 
these  forms  of  the  cube,  sphere,  and  cylinder, 
there  is  a  great  deal  to  be  done  and  learned. 
They  can  be  played  with  at  first  according  to 
the  child's  own  humor:  will  run,  jump,  repre- 
sent carts,  or  anything.  The  ancient  Egyptians, 
in  their  young  days  as  a  nation,  piled  three  cubes 
on  one  another  and  called  them  the  three  Graces. 
A  child  will,  in  the  same  way,  see  fishes  in  stones, 
and  be  content  to  put  a  cylinder  upon  a  cube, 
and  say  that  is  papa  on  horseback.  Of  this 
element  of  ready  fancy  in  all  childish  sport 
Froebel  took  full  advantage.  The  ball,  cube, 
and  cylinder  may  be  spun,  swung,  rolled,  and 
balanced  in  so  many  ways  as  to  display  prac- 
tically all  their  properties.  The  cube,  spun  upon 
the  stick  piercing  it  through  opposite  edges,  will 
look  like  a  circle,  and  so  forth.  As  the  child 
grows  older,  each  of  the  forms  may  be  examined 
definitely,  and  he  may  learn  from  observation  to 
describe  it.  The  ball  may  be  rolled  down  an 
inclined  plane  and  the  acceleration  of  its  speed 
observed.  Most  of  the  elementary  laws  of 


INFANT  GARDENS  139 

mechanics  may  be  made  practically  obvious  to 
the  child's  understanding. 

The  "third  gift"  is  the  cube  divided  once  in 
every  direction.  By  the  time  a  child  gets  this  to 
play  with  he  is  three  years  old — of  age  ripe  for 
admission  to  an  Infant  Garden.  The  Infant 
Garden  is  intended  for  the  help  of  children 
between  three  years  old  and  seven.  Instruction 
in  it — always  by  means  of  play — is  given  for 
only  two  or  three  hours  in  the  day ;  such  instruc- 
tion sets  each  child,  if  reasonably  helped  at 
home,  in  the  right  train  of  education  for  the 
remainder  of  its  time. 

An  Infant  Garden  must  be  held  in  a  large 
room  abounding  in  clear  space  for  child's  play, 
and  connected  with  a  garden  into  which  the 
children  may  adjourn  whenever  weather  will 
permit.  The  garden  is  meant  chiefly  to  assure, 
more  perfectly,  the  association  of  wholesome 
bodily  exercise  with  mental  activity.  If  climate 
but  permitted,  Froebel  would  have  all  young 
children  taught  entirely  in  the  pure,  fresh  air, 
while  frolicking  in  sunshine  among  flowers.  By 
his  system  he  aimed  at  securing  for  them  bodily 
as  well  as  mental  health,  and  he  held  it  to  be 
unnatural  that  they  should  be  cooped  up  in 
close  rooms,  and  glued  to  forms,  when  all  their 
limbs  twitch  with  desire  for  action,  and  there  is 
a  warm  sunshine  out  of  doors.  The  garden,  too, 
should  be  their  own;  every  child  the  master  or 


140  INFANT  GARDENS 

mistress  of  a  plot  in  it,  sowing  seeds  and  watch- 
ing day  by  day  the  growth  of  plants,  instructed 
playfully  and  simply  in  the  meaning  of  what  is 
observed.  When  weather  forbids  use  of  the 
garden,  there  is  the  great,  airy  room  which  should 
contain  cupboards,  with  a  place  for  every  child's 
toys  and  implements;  so  that  a  habit  of  the 
strictest  neatness  may  be  properly  maintained. 
Up  to  the  age  of  seven  there  is  to  be  no  book 
work  and  no  ink  work;  but  only  at  school  a  free 
and  brisk,  but  systematic  strengthening  of  the 
body,  of  the  senses,  of  the  intellect,  and  of  the 
affections,  managed  in  such  a  way  as  to  leave 
the  child  prompt  for  subsequent  instruction, 
already  comprehending  the  elements  of  a  good 
deal  of  knowledge. 

We  must  endeavor  to  show  in  part  how  that 
is  done.  The  third  gift — the  cube  divided  once 
in  every  direction — enables  the  child  to  begin 
the  work  of  construction  in  accordance  with  its 
own  ideas,  and  insensibly  brings  the  ideas  into 
the  control  of  a  sense  of  harmony  and  fitness. 
The  cube  divided  into  eight  parts  will  manufac- 
ture many  things;  and,  while  the  child  is  at 
work,  helped  by  quiet  suggestion  now  and  then, 
the  teacher  talks  of  what  he  is  about,  asks  many 
questions,  answers  more,  mixes  up  little  songs 
and  stories  with  the  play.  Pillars,  ruined 
castles,  triumphal  arches,  city  gates,  bridges, 
crosses,  towers,  all  can  be  completed  tc  the 


INFANT  GARDENS  141 

perfect  satisfaction  of  a  child,  with  the  eight 
little  cubes.  They  are  all  so  many  texts  on 
which  useful  and  pleasant  talk  can  be  established. 
Then  they  are  capable  also  of  harmonious 
arrangement  into  patterns,  and  this  is  a  great 
pleasure  to  the  child.  He  learns  the  charm  of 
symmetry,  exercises  taste  in  the  preference  of 
this  or  that  among  the  hundred  combinations 
of  which  his  eight  cubes  are  susceptible. 

Then  follows  the  "fourth  gift,"  a  cube  divided 
into  eight  planes  cut  lengthways.  More  things 
can  be  done  with  this  than  with  the  other. 
Without  strain  on  the  mind,  in  sheer  play, 
mingled  with  songs,  nothing  is  wanted  but  a 
liberal  supply  of  little  cubes,  to  make  clear  to 
the  children  the  elements  of  arithmetic.  The 
cubes  are  the  things  numbered.  Addition  is 
done  with  them;  they  are  subtracted  from 
each  other;  they  are  multiplied;  they  are  di- 
vided. Besides  these  four  elementary  rules  they 
cause  children  to  be  thoroughly  at  home  in  the 
principle  of  fractions,  to  multiply  and  divide 
fractions — as  real  things;  all  in  good  time  it  will 
become  easy  enough  to  let  written  figures 
represent  them — to  go  through  the  rule  of  three, 
square  root,  and  cube  root.  As  a  child  has 
instilled  into  him  the  principles  of  arithmetic,  so 
he  acquires  insensibly  the  groundwork  of 
geometry,  the  sister  science. 

Froebel's  "fifth  gift"  is  an  extension  of  the 


142  INFANT  GARDENS 

third,  a  cube  divided  into  twenty-seven  equal 
cubes,  and  three  of  these  further  divided  into 
halves,  three  into  quarters.  This  brings  with  it 
the  teaching  of  a  great  deal  of  geometry,  much 
help  to  the  lessons  in  number,  magnificent 
accessions  to  the  power  of  the  little  architect, 
who  is  provided,  now,  with  pointed  roofs  and 
other  glories,  and  the  means  of  producing  an 
almost  infinite  variety  of  symmetrical  patterns, 
both  more  complex  and  more  beautiful  than 
heretofore. 

The  "sixth  gift"  is  a  cube  so  divided  as  to 
extend  still  farther  the  child's  power  of  combin- 
ing and  discussing  it.  When  its  resources  are 
exhausted  and  combined  with  those  of  the 
"seventh  gift"  (a  box  containing  every  form 
supplied  in  the  preceding  series),  the  little 
pupil — seven  years  old — has  had  his  inventive 
and  artistic  powers  exercised,  and  his  mind 
stored  with  facts  that  have  been  absolutely 
comprehended.  He  has  acquired  also  a  sense  of 
pleasure  in  the  occupation  of  his  mind. 

But  he  has  not  been  trained  in  this  way  only. 
We  leave  out  of  account  the  bodily  exercise 
connected  with  the  entire  round  of  occupation, 
and  speak  only  of  the  mental  discipline.  There 
are  some  other  "gifts"  that  are  brought  into 
service  as  the  child  becomes  able  to  use  them. 
One  is  a  box  containing  pieces  of  wood,  or  paste- 
board, cut  into  sundry  forms.  With  these  the 


INFANT  GARDENS  143 

letters  of  the  alphabet  can  be  constructed;  and, 
after  letters,  words,  in  such  a  way  as  to  create 
out  of  the  game  a  series  of  pleasant  spelling 
lessons.  The  letters  are  arranged  upon  a  slate 
ruled  into  little  squares,  by  which  the  eye  is 
guided  in  preserving  regularity.  Then  follows 
the  gift  of  a  bundle  of  small  sticks,  which 
represent  so  many  straight  lines;  and,  by  laying 
them  upon  his  slate,  the  child  can  make  letters, 
patterns,  pictures;  drawing,  in  fact,  with  lines 
that  have  not  to  be  made  with  pen  or  pencil,  but 
are  provided  ready  made  and  laid  down  with  the 
fingers.  This  kind  of  Stick- work  having  been 
brought  to  perfection,  there  is  a  capital  extension 
of  the  idea  with  what  is  called  Pea-work.  By 
the  help  of  peas  softened  in  water,  sticks  may  be 
joined  together,  letters,  skeletons  of  cubes, 
crosses,  prisms  may  be  built;  houses,  towers, 
churches  may  be  constructed,  having  due 
breadth  as  well  as  length  and  height,  strong 
enough  to  be  carried  about  or  kept  as  specimens 
of  ingenuity.  Then  follows  a  gift  of  flat  sticks, 
to  be  used  in  plaiting.  After  that  there  is  a 
world  of  ingenuity  to  be  expended  on  the  plait- 
ing, folding,  cutting,  and  pricking  of  plain  or 
colored  paper.  Children  five  years  old,  trained 
in  the  Infant  Garden,  will  delight  in  plaiting 
slips  of  paper  variously  colored  into  patterns 
of  their  own  invention,  and  will  work  with  a 
sense  of  symmetry  so  much  refined  by  training 


144  INFANT  GARDENS 

as  to  produce  patterns  of  exceeding  beauty.  By 
cutting  paper,  too,  patterns  are  produced  in  the 
Infant  Garden  that  would  often,  though  the 
work  of  very  little  hands,  be  received  in  schools 
of  design  with  acclamation.  Then  there  are 
games  by  which  the  first  truths  of  astronomy, 
and  other  laws  of  Nature,  are  made  as  familiar 
as  they  are  interesting.  For  our  own  parts,  we 
have  been  perfectly  amazed  at  the  work  we  have 
seen  done  by  children  of  six  or  seven — bright, 
merry  creatures,  who  have  all  the  spirit  of  their 
childhood  active  in  them,  repressed  by  no 
parent's  selfish  love  of  ease  and  silence,  cowed  by 
no  dull-witted  teacher  of  the  ABC  and  the 
pothooks. 

Froebel  discourages  the  cramping  of  an  infant's 
hand  upon  a  pen,  but  his  slate  ruled  into  little 
squares,  or  paper  prepared  in  the  same  way,  is 
used  by  him  for  easy  training  in  the  elements  of 
drawing.  Modeling  in  wet  clay  is  one  of  the 
most  important  occupations  of  the  children  who 
have  reached  about  the  sixth  year,  and  is  used 
as  much  as  possible,  not  merely  to  encourage 
imitation,  but  to  give  some  play  to  the  creative 
power.  Finally,  there  is  the  best  possible  use 
made  of  the  paint-box,  and  children  engaged 
upon  the  coloring  of  pictures  and  the  arrange- 
ment of  nosegays  are  further  taught  to  enjoy, 
not  merely  what  is  bright,  but  also  what  is 
harmonious  and  beautiful. 


INFANT  GARDENS  145 

We  have  not  left  ourselves  as  much  space  as  is 
requisite  to  show  how  truly  all  such  labor 
becomes  play  to  the  child.  Fourteen  years' 
evidence  suffices  for  a  demonstration  of  the 
admirable  working  of  a  system  of  this  kind;  but 
as  we  think  there  are  some  parents  who  may  be 
willing  to  inquire  a  little  further  into  the  subject 
here  commended  earnestly  to  their  attention, 
we  will  end  by  a  citation  of  the  source  from 
which  we  have  ourselves  derived  what  informa- 
tion we  possess. 

At  the  educational  exhibition  in  St.  Martin's 
Hall,  last  year,  there  was  a  large  display  of  the 
material  used  and  results  produced  in  Infant 
Gardens  which  attracted  much  attention.  The 
Baroness  von  Marenholtz,  enthusiastic  in  her 
advocacy  of  the  children's  cause,  came  then  to 
England,  and  did  very  much  to  procure  the 
establishment  in  this  country  of  some  experi- 
mental Infant  Gardens.  By  her,  several  months 
ago — and  at  about  the  same  time  by  M.  and 
Madame  Rong£,  who  had  already  established 
the  first  English  Infant  Garden — our  attention 
was  invited  to  the  subject.  We  were  also  made 
acquainted  with  M.  Hoffman,  one  of  Froebel's 
pupils,  who  explained  the  system  theoretically 
at  the  Polytechnic  Institution.  When  in  this 
country,  the  Baroness  von  Marenholtz  published 
a  book  called  Woman's  Educational  Mission, 
being  an  explanation  of  Frederick  Froebel's 


146  INFANT  GARDENS 

System  of  Infant  Gardens.  We  have  made  use 
of  the  book  in  the  preceding  notice,  but  it 
appeared  without  the  necessary  illustrations,  and 
is  therefore  a  less  perfect  guide  to  the  subject 
than  a  work  published  more  recently  by  M.  and 
Madame  Rong6:  A  Practical  Guide  to  the 
English  Kindergarten.  This  last  book  we  exhort 
everybody  to  consult  who  is  desirous  of  a  closer 
insight  into  Froebel's  system  than  we  have  been 
able  here  to  give.  It  not  only  explains  what  the 
system  is,  but,  by  help  of  an  unstinted  supply  of 
little  sketches,  enables  any  one  at  once  to  study 
it  at  home  and  bring  it  into  active  operation.  It 
suggests  conversations,  games;  gives  many  of 
Froebel's  songs,  and  even  furnishes  the  music 
(which  usually  consists  of  popular  tunes — Mary 
Blane,  Rousseau's  Dream,  etc.)  to  which  they 
may  be  sung.  Furthermore,  it  is  well  to  say  that 
any  one  interested  in  this  subject,  whom  time 
and  space  do  not  forbid,  may  see  an  Infant 
Garden  in  full  work  by  calling,  on  a  Tuesday 
morning  between  the  hours  of  ten  and  one,  on 
M.  and  Madame  Rong6,  at  number  32  Tavistock 
Place,  Tavistock  Square.  That  day  these 
earliest  and  heartiest  of  our  established  infant 
gardeners  have  set  apart,  for  the  help  of  a  good 
cause,  to  interruptions  and  investigations  from 
the  world  without,  trusting,  of  course,  we 
suppose,  that  no  one  will  disturb  them  for  the 
satisfaction  of  mere  idle  curiosity. 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT 
KEILHAU* 

HENRIETTA   SCHRADER,   BERLIN 

Reprinted  by  permission  of  Amalie  Hofer  Jerome. 

I 

A  WORD  about  my  personal  connec- 
tions with  Friedrich  Froebel  and 
his  family  will  not  be  out  of  place 
in  these  reminiscences.  My  ma- 
ternal grandfather,  Superintendent  and  Con- 
sistorial  Assessor  Hoffmann  of  Nette,  near 
Hildesheim  in  the  former  Kingdom  of  Hanover, 
was  born  in  Thuringia,  where  his  father  was 
pastor.  One  of  the  sisters  of  my  grandfather 
married  the  Pastor  Froebel  in  Oberweissbach  in 
1782,  the  youngest  child  of  this  marriage  being 
Friedrich  Froebel,  the  mother  dying  shortly 
after  his  birth.  Christian,  the  older  brother  of 
Froebel,  born  in  1770,  also  left  Thuringia  for 
the  Province  of  Hanover,  settling  in  the  little 
town  of  Osterode,  in  the  Hartz,  where  he 
established  a  linen  industry,  and  married  a  wife 
from  this  place.  Osterode  and  Nette  being  so 
near  together  the  families  had  constant  inter- 

*Translated  by  Bertha  Hofer  Hegner.   Edited  by  Amalie 
Hofer  Jerome. 


148          GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

course  with  each  other.  My  grandfather  had 
three  daughters,  Johanna,  Luise,  and  Christiane, 
the  second  of  which  was  my  mother.  The 
Froebels  in  Osterode  had  besides  several  sons  the 
three  daughters  Albertine,  Emilie,  and  Elise, 
who  were  about  the  age  of  the  daughters  of  the 
Hoffmann  family,  with  whom  they  were  most 
cordial  friends.  Among  other  relatives  coming 
to  Nette  was  Friedrich  Froebel,  who  frequently 
visited  his  uncle.  Our  mother  often  told  us 
afterwards  that  these  visits  of  Friedrich  were 
among  her  choicest  recollections.  In  1817 
Froebel  established  his  boys'  school  in  Keilhau, 
near  Rudolstadt,  in  Thuringia.  In  1818  he 
married  Henrietta  Wilhelmine  Hoffmeister,  of 
Berlin.  In  1820  Christian  Froebel  moved  to 
Keilhau  to  take  charge  of  the  domestic  manage- 
ment of  the  Institute.  The  two  friends  of 
Froebel,  Middendorf  and  Langethal,  joined  him 
at  Keilhau  in  1817.  In  1826  Langethal  married 
the  adopted  daughter  of  Froebel,  and  in  the 
same  year  Albertine  Froebel  became  the  wife  of 
Middendorf.  In  1828  Barop  joined  the  Keilhau 
Institute  and  married  Emilie  Froebel.  In  1830 
the  fianct  of  Elise  Froebel,  Karl,  who  was  a 
teacher  in  the  Keilhau  school,  died,  and  also  my 
grandparents  in  Nette.  My  mother  married  the 
Pastor  Breymann  in  Mahlum,  Province  Braun- 
schweig, which  was  about  an  hour  and  a  half 
journey  from  Nette.  During  the  summer  of 


GIRLHOOD   DAYS  AT  KEILHAU          149 

1826  my  parents  went  in  company  with  our 
Aunt  Christiane  to  Thuringia,  visiting  the 
several  families  of  our  relations,  and  spending 
considerable  time  at  Keilhau.  From  this  time 
onward  a  cordial  and  constant  correspondence 
was  kept  up  between  my  mother  and  Albertine 
Middendorf,  and  in  this  way  our  parents  took 
the  deepest  interest  in  the  vicissitudes  of  the 
Institute,  and  the  difficulties  which  swept  over 
Keilhau  so  soon  after  their  visit. 

Frequent  guests  came  from  Keilhau  to  our 
home  who  brought  accounts  of  the  work  there, 
and  kept  us  informed  of  the  varied  changes 
experienced  by  our  beloved  friends.  Thus  the 
year  1848  arrived.  In  1839  the  wife  of  Friedrich 
Froebel  had  passed  away,  and  Barop  had  become 
the  principal  of  the  Keilhau  school.  Eight 
children  had  been  born  to  him,  and  four  to  the 
Middendorf  family,  three  sons  and  an  only 
daughter,  Alwina.  Christian  Froebel  and  his 
wife  were  still  active  in  conducting  the  eco- 
nomics of  the  school,  although  the  former  had 
grown  entirely  blind.  Langethal  had  left 
Keilhau  to  take  a  parsonage  in  Schlesien. 
Friedrich  Froebel  had  spent  the  larger  part  of 
1836  in  Switzerland,  and  after  his  return  had 
opened  a  new  institution  at  Blankenburg  near 
by,  which  was  devoted  to  the  especial  training  of 
women  and  children.  Unfortunately  he  was 
obliged  to  abandon  this  work  on  account  of 


150          GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

financial  difficulty,  and  he  returned  to  Keilhau  in 
1840,  where  he  took  residence  in  a  peasant's 
house  near  the  Institute,  and  during  the  winter 
conducted  the  training  of  several  kindergartners 
who  lived  in  Keilhau,  boarding  at  the  Institute. 
Froebel  made  frequent  journeys  during  this 
summer  to  other  cities  in  the  interest  of  his 
educational  idea,  having  at  this  time  no  imme- 
diate part  in  the  management  of  the  Keilhau 
school.  Several  young  girls  had  been  admitted 
to  the  Institute  in  company  with  the  daughters 
of  the  principal,  Barop,  and  it  was  finally  decided 
by  my  parents  to  send  our  eleven-year-old  sister 
to  join  them.  Our  many  relatives  there  urged 
me  to  accompany  my  sister,  and  in  response  to 
the  hearty  invitations,  Marie  and  I  started  in 
May,  1848,  for  Thuringia,  the  land  which  had 
cradled  our  Grandfather  Hoffmann. 

I  take  the  following  notes  from  my  journals 
and  letters,  written  during  the  summer  of  1848 
in  Rudolstadt  and  Keilhau : 

Rudolstadt,  May,  1848. — You  have  been  think- 
ing, dearest  mother,  that  Marie  and  I  are 
already  in  Keilhau,  but  we  are  still  here;  but  all 
obstacles  are  at  last  removed,  and  we  shall  soon 
reach  our  place  of  destination.  The  trunk  has 
arrived,  and  I  am  recovered  from  my  cold,  but 
how  are  you,  dear  mother?  Are  you  quite  well? 
To-day  is  Sunday,  and  you  are  going  to  our  dear 
little  church  at  this  very  moment,  thinking  of 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU          151 

your  absent  children  and  remembering  them  in 
your  prayers.  Dear  mother,  it  is  most  beautiful 
here,  and  in  these  lovely  surroundings  I  miss  one 
thing  only,  and  that  is  your  and  father's  true 
heartedness.  If  we  could  enjoy  all  this  goodness 
and  beauty  together  with  you,  how  happy  I 
should  be.  I  am  sad  when  I  think  that  I  can  be 
of  no  help  to  you  now  with  the  children  and  in 
the  house,  and  that  father  has  so  many  added 
expenses  on  account  of  our  travel.  But  the 
thought  that  I  shall  be  a  better  help  to  you  after 
I  have  had  this  lovely  visit  comforts  me. 

Monday, — At  last  we  are  arrived  in  Keilhau, 
where  all  gave  us  a  friendly  reception.  The  first 
to  welcome  us  was  Frau  von  Born,  the  sister  of 
Barop,  who  is  living  here  in  order  that  she  may 
not  be  separated  from  her  sons,  who  are  being 
educated  in  the  school.  Next  came  the  five 
daughters  of  the  Barop  family,  all  sturdy,  strong 
girls,  with  dark  hair  and  brown  eyes,  dressed  in 
rustic  simplicity,  which  seems  to  be  necessary 
here.  Their  father  is  an  earnest,  stately  man, 
wearing  his  hair  very  long,  with  a  straight  part 
in  the  middle.  He  inspired  us  with  the  greatest 
respect,  but  gave  us  a  most  cordial  welcome. 
When  Elise  Froebel  appeared  my  heart  grew 
warm,  for  she  gave  us  such  a  bright,  loving  look. 
What  an  active  life  she  leads  here,  and  her 
helper  in  the  home,  Malchen,  led  us  at  once  to 
the  dining-room,  where  we  were  to  take  supper 


152          GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

with  the  family.  A  loud  cheering  greeted  us  in 
this  room,  which  was  filled  with  boys  and 
bearded  men,  who  were  all  engaged  in  a  lively 
conversation.  We  had  potato  salad  and  cold 
meat,  which  tasted  unusually  good.  As  soon  as 
any  one  of  the  boys  had  finished  his  supper,  he 
was  allowed  to  leave  the  table,  and  each  inva- 
riably rushed  boisterously  out  into  the  court, 
where  all  were  soon  taking  part  in  happy  games. 
Frau  Barop  is  ill,  and  we  have  not  yet  seen  her. 
After  supper  we  visited  the  grandparents,  that 
is,  Christian  Froebel  and  his  wife,  who  live  in  the 
"lower  house."  The  grandfather  is  quite  blind, 
although  otherwise  a  hale  and  hearty  man, 
helping  everywhere,  even  folding  up  the  clothes, 
and  helping  with  the  laundry.  The  grandmother 
is  a  tiny,  trim  little  woman,  very  quiet  but  keen 
and  thoughtful.  We  had  to  tell  them  many 
things,  and  the  grandfather  told  us  much  about 
the  dear  grandparents  at  Nette,  and  what  a 
cultured,  wise  man  the  grandfather  was,  and 
how  many  times  he  had  enjoyed  eating  carp 
and  drinking  a  glass  of  wine  with  him.  Then 
Frau  Middendorf  came.  I  had  imagined  her 
very  different.  She  is  very  bright  and  happy. 
Everything  here  seems  so  bright,  and  happy, 
and  strong.  Marie  and  I  have  a  beautiful  little 
attic  room.  A  soft  rain  fell  quietly  as  we  went  to 
bed,  and  the  sound  on  the  roof  was  like  music, 
which  sound  put  us  to  sleep. 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU          153 

To-day  we  have  taken  some  beautiful  walks, 
climbing  to  the  top  of  the  Kolm,  which  slopes 
back  from  the  school  and  belongs  to  the  grounds. 
The  boys  and  teachers  were  all  busy  laying  out 
the  comfortable  footpaths  and  building  hermit- 
ages, and  resting  places  in  different  parts  of  the 
grounds.  During  the  Whitsuntide  holidays  the 
pupils  live  on  the  hillside  all  day  long,  working, 
planting  flowers,  repairing  the  walks  and  build- 
ings, and  cooking  on  their  rudely  constructed 
stoves.  We  saw  some  boiling  potatoes,  and 
others  making  pancakes.  We  climbed  up  to  the 
tower,  from  the  top  of  which  we  could  look  down 
into  the  beautiful  valley.  Did  you  climb  here, 
too,  dear  parents,  when  you  were  here  on  your 
visit?  I  am  sure  you  did,  for  it  is  the  most 
beautiful  spot  about  Keilhau.  I  look  out  over 
the  broad,  rich  valley,  encircled  by  blue  hills, 
with  the  pines  rustling  back  of  me.  When  I 
close  my  eyes  it  seems  as  if  I  were  being  carried 
by  wings  on  this  refreshing  air,  which  is  all 
around  us.  There  is  something  strangely 
indescribable  about  these  surroundings.  I  think 
it  must  be  the  spirit  in  Keilhau  which  permeates 
everything.  I  have  the  feeling  that  this  same 
spirit  must  also  quicken  me,  and  that  it  will 
penetrate  through  the  chaos  of  thoughts  and 
feelings  which  ever  struggle  and  toss  about 
within  me.  I  feel  that  it  will  lead  me  to  a  clear- 
ness of  my  inner  being. 


154         GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

Tuesday. — Last  night  we  sat  in  the  moonlight 
under  a  beautiful  birch  tree  on  the  Kolm.  My 
dear  mother,  if  I  only  could  tell  you  ah  I  feel  and 
wish  to  do.  But  there  is  so  much  that  is  unutter- 
able in  this  unique  place.  I  seem  to  grow  freer 
every  moment,  and  am  gaining  new  insight  into 
a  life  which  I  cannot  yet  put  into  words.  I  feel 
as  if  I  had  been  here  a  long,  long  time;  as  if  this 
were  my  real  home;  and  yet  at  the  same  time 
every  fiber  of  my  heart  is  attached  to  my  old 
home.  Every  one  is  kind  and  good  to  us  here, 
and  we  move  freely  in  this  new  circle.  I  am  all 
over  the  house,  now  upstairs,  now  down,  then 
visiting  the  grandparents.  I  always  find  some- 
thing to  do  and  some  one  to  help.  They  are 
always  ready  to  give  me  such  work  to  do  as  I  can. 
The  Institute  is  fairly  blooming  at  this  time. 
At  Easter  twenty  boarding-school  pupils  were 
refused  because  there  was  no  room.  I  can  easily 
understand  why  parents  wish  their  children  to 
live  here.  You  should  see  how  good  everything 
tastes.  The  large  crocks  of  milk  and  baskets  of 
bread  that  are  brought  for  breakfast  disappear 
rapidly.  It  is  the  same  way  at  dinner  and 
supper,  and  there  is  plenty  of  everything  sub- 
stantial. There  are  no  sweets  or  luxuries,  and 
the  very  things  which  I  did  not  relish  at  home 
taste  excellent  here.  The  spicy  mountain  air 
must  have  something  to  do  with  it,  and  the 
exercise  out  of  doors,  and  because  very  little 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU  155 

attention  is  paid  to  non-essentials.  Every  one  is 
interested  in  the  higher  things.  Just  at  present 
political  matters  are  being  discussed,  but  the 
real  storms  of  politics  do  not  touch  Keilhau, 
which  lies  so  peacefully  and  quietly  surrounded 
by  these  hills,  there  is  no  room  for  quarreling. 
The  rustling  of  the  trees  brings  peace  to  my 
heart,  the  blue  skies  fill  me  with  hope,  and  the 
beautiful  sun  over  the  shady  trees  warms  my 
soul.  The  moon  and  stars  shine  mildly  upon  us 
at  night,  bringing  peace.  This  summer  visit  to 
Keilhau  is  surely  the  brightest  spot  in  all  my  life. 
Later. — With  all  my  careful  listening  I  have 
not  been  able  to  learn  what  stand  is  taken  here 
with  regard  to  politics,  or  to  what  party  Keilhau 
belongs.  This  much  I  understand,  that  we 
should  have  a  free  and  united  Germany.  But 
what  do  they  call  free  here?  Marie  with  her 
brightness  and  freshness  is  liked  by  everybody 
and  is  happy.  As  soon  as  she  is  entirely  at 
home  I  will  go  to  Rudolstadt,  and  come  back 
later  for  a  permanent  stay.  Middendorf  and 
Froebel  have  not  yet  returned  from  their 
travels.  How  are  the  children,  the  stout  Erich 
and  sweet  Hedchen?  Were  you  not  pleased 
with  the  pretty  cuttings  made  by  Adolph,  which 
you  sent  me?  They  are  very  much  admired 
here,  and  the  teachers  think  he  must  have  a 
great  talent  for  drawing  for  it  was  all  free  hand 
cutting. 


156         GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

DIARY.  Rudolstadt,  middle  of  May. — To-day 
we  went  to  church.  The  building  is  large  and 
beautifully  arched,  but  the  furnishing  was  gaudy, 
and  made  one  feel  restless.  These  words  were 
in  gold  letters  on  black  marble  over  the  altar, 
and  impressed  me  deeply:  "Master,  remain 
with  us,  for  the  evening  is  coming."  Yes,  we 
may  well  pray  the  Master  to  be  with  us  just 
now.  We  need  to  hold  fast  to  heaven  at  this 
time,  when  the  earth  is  at  variance  with  itself. 
I  do  not  wish  to  leave  it  now,  but  am  eager  to 
see  how  these  current  experiences  will  unwind 
themselves.  I  am  only  grateful  that  I  am  not 
one  of  the  causes  of  all  this  tangle  in  which  so 
many  lose  themselves,  dragging  so  many  others 
with  them  through  the  defeat  of  the  uprising 
party.  But  are  not  all  these  people  tools  in 
God's  hands?  If  I  could  only  see  how  all  things 
fit  together,  and  how  it  will  all  end !  The  pastor 
also  spoke  of  the  present  upheavals,  taking  his 
text  from  David's  psalm,  "The  Lord  will 
destroy  the  godless."  There  was  little  food  for 
the  soul  in  this  sermon,  and  I  went  home  unsat- 
isfied and  empty.  I  am  always  searching  for 
something  in  church  that  I  cannot  find.  I  look 
for  a  clearer  understanding  of  the  Bible  and  its 
application  to  life,  but  so  much  remains  dark  to 
me.  I  can  do  nothing  with  many  of  the  texts, 
and  the  pressing  exhortation  of  the  minister 
that  we  should  turn  from  the  godless  has  no 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU          157 

effect  upon  me.  Who  is  godless,  and  who  has 
a  right  to  call  another  godless?  It  may  be  hard 
to  explain  the  Bible  and  inspire  men  to  do  the 
good,  but  I  always  think,  who  serves  God  with 
fervent  love  and  holy  zeal  is  not  only  a  minister 
in  the  pulpit,  but  a  pastor  of  souls  in  the  world. 
If  I  were  a  minister  sitting  before  the  Book  of 
Books  on  a  Saturday  evening  here  in  the  silence, 
with  eyes  lifted  to  heaven  asking  for  light, 
would  it  be  denied  me?  No,  never.  Whitsuntide 
comes  once  each  year  as  the  festival  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  but  every  one  can  celebrate  his  own 
Whitsuntide  if  he  entreats  the  Holy  Ghost  to 
illuminate  him.  A  believer  celebrates  the 
festivals  of  the  Church  many,  many  times  in  his 
own  heart.  If  I  were  only  a  man  and  had  been 
educated  like  a  man,  and  could  talk  about  these 
things  which  stir  the  heart,  like  a  man!  But  it 
must  be  better  for  me  to  be  a  woman.  The 
limitations  that  are  put  about  our  sex  soften  the 
emotions,  keep  my  heart  warm,  and  curb  my 
pride.  Is  it  less  worthy  to  hold  still,  to  work 
quietly,  to  be  patient,  than  it  is  to  struggle,  and 
quarrel,  and  advocate?  To  be  a  woman  of  quiet 
dignity,  is  not  this  something  high?  Was  not 
Jesus  born  of  a  woman?  Was  it  not  the  women 
who  were  true  to  him  until  his  death,  and  who 
first  proclaimed  his  resurrection  with  the  cry, 
"The  Lord  is  arisen"?  This  is  my  comfort, 


158          GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

that  women  are  not  excluded  from  all  that  is 
highest  and  best  in  the  world. 

II 

From  my  letters,  1848. — The  peasants  around 
Keilhau  are  celebrating  their  May  festival, 
much  as  they  do  with  us  at  home.  However, 
they  keep  their  holiday  in  a  much  simpler  way 
here.  They  dance  down  the  green  in  front  of  the 
Institute,  the  musician  sitting  near  by;  occa- 
sionally one  of  them  steps  into  the  midst  of  the 
circle  with  his  bass  viol,  which  is  the  signal  for 
all  of  us  to  join  in  the  dance.  Yesterday  being 
Sunday,  all  were  happy  and  gay,  and  to-day  the 
jollity  of  the  peasants  continues.  The  children 
are  all  anxious  to  drop  their  studies  in  order  to 
participate,  but  the  mild,  gentle  Middendorf 
stood  his  ground  and  said:  "Only  when  the 
work  is  all  done  is  it  good  to  dance."  The  kind 
expression  on  his  face  sent  the  children  all  back 
again  to  their  work  in  a  happy  mood.  This 
Middendorf  is  so  refreshing.  He  reminds  me 
much  of  Pastor  W.,  although  Middendorf 's 
presence  and  appearance  are  far  more  ideal. 
I  love  Elise  Froebel  more  and  more  every  day. 
I  think  she  loves  me  also.  She  impresses  me  as 
one  of  those  strong  ones  upon  whom  others  can 
lean.  It  seems  as  if  I  always  had  been  here. 
Usually  I  am  most  fond  of  such  great  and 
aristocratic  people  as  one  finds  at  the  von  C's; 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU          159 

you  were  so  often  angry  with  me  because  nothing 
seemed  good  enough  or  great  enough  for  me. 
Here  at  Keilhau  there  is  nothing  of  the  aristo- 
cratic, in  fact,  everything  sesthetic  is  lacking, 
and  as  I  look  upon  the  arrangements  and  manner 
of  life  here,  much  seems  countrified  and  crude 
according  to  our  ideas.  I  cannot  understand 
why  it  never  seems  unpleasant  or  jarring.  If 
I  had  children  whom  I  wished  to  send  away 
from  home,  I  should  bring  them  to  this  place. 
You  can  hardly  imagine  how  attached  the  old 
students  who  have  left  Keilhau  are  to  the 
Institute.  They  speak  of  their  stay  here  as  the 
happiest  time  of  their  lives.  Every  day  brings 
many  guests,  among  them  many  of  the  old 
pupils  who  come  back  to  stay  for  a  longer  or 
shorter  time.  How  happy  I  shall  be  to  have 
brother  Karl  make  me  a  visit  here!  This  life 
will  be  very  new  to  him.  Last  week  we  all  went 
together  to  Justinshoehe  to  see  the  fireworks  in 
honor  of  the  opening  of  Parliament.  If  only  the 
men  had  not  strewn  ashes  on  their  heads  at  the 
close  of  the  ceremony!  People  at  Rudolstadt 
vie  with  each  other  to  see  which  shall  have  more 
worldly  goods  than  the  other.  This  seems  to  be 
their  one  aim  in  life.  What  would  become  of 
the  world  if  each  one  had  everything  he  wished? 
I  am  sure  that  egotism  is  the  cause  of  all  their 
trouble.  If  they  would  only  cease  their  "freedom 
cry,"  and  work  to  do  away  with  egotism,  which 


160          GIRLHOOD   DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

is  at  the  root  of  all  rivalry,  then  the  tree  of 
freedom  would  have  a  chance  to  grow  green  and 
flourish!  I  have  ceased  being  interested  in 
parties,  although  I  still  like  to  hear  the  men  talk 
about  them.  It  amuses  me  when  they  begin  to 
quarrel  in  their  arguments,  jumping  to  the 
tables  and  shouting  to  be  understood.  One  of 
the  teachers  by  the  name  of  Schweizer  is  a 
Republican;  he,  together  with  Herr  L.,  speaks 
zealously  against  the  king  and  the  kingdom. 
Uncle  Froebel  has  not  yet  returned,  and  I  am 
growing  very  anxious  to  see  him.  I  do  not 
exactly  understand  his  relationship  to  every  one 
here  in  the  Institute,  and  yet  it  seems  to  be  all 
his  work.  With  the  exception  of  Middendorf ,  no 
one  speaks  cordially  of  him.  In  Rudolstadt  he 
is  not  given  recognition  in  the  same  way  as  are 
Barop,  Middendorf,  uncle,  and  aunt.  These  call 
Froebel  unpractical  and  an  idealist,  and  consider 
it  good  fortune  that  he  has  retired  from  the 
Institute,  which  they  think  was  only  saved  by 
Middendorf  and  Barop.  The  other  uncle  at 
Koenigsee  is  also  unfriendly  toward  Froebel. 
They  say  that  he  constantly  borrowed  money 
for  his  work,  and  when  the  uncle  would  no 
longer  help  him  in  this  way,  Froebel  grew  angry 
with  him,  although  he  still  owed  him  for  what  he 
had  already  used.  My  dear  parents,  you  do  not 
know  how  all  this  grieves  me,  although  I  try  to 
think  that  things  are  different  from  what  they 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU          161 

seem.  I  am  sure  that  when  a  man  desires  with 
his  whole  heart  to  work  for  humanity  as  uncle 
does,  that  he  must  first  work  with  himself,  and 
above  everything  else  stand  as  a  righteous,  good 
citizen.  Good-by,  my  dear  ones. 

The  first  day  of  Whitsuntide  in  Keilhau  (from 
my  diary). — We  went  to  church  this  morning, 
but  I  was  not  uplifted.  In  the  afternoon  Mid- 
dendorf  read  aloud  to  us  from  the  life  and  work 
of  two  men  of  whom  I  cannot  think  highly. 
I  wonder  that  Middendorf  can  honor  and 
befriend  such  men!  I  have  the  privilege  of 
attending  his  class  in  religious  instruction,  and 
have  there  learned  to  know  what  is  his  most 
profound  religious  sentiment.  I  am  sure  that 
he  is  a  Christian ;  he  meets  my  whole  ideal  of  a 
true  Christian,  and  yet  can  he  be  mistaken  in  his 
belief?  Later  in  the  day  Middendorf,  together 
with  several  of  the  teachers,  some  of  the  students, 
and  the  ladies,  took  a  long  walk  into  some 
beautiful  neighboring  grounds.  Here  we  sat 
down  while  Middendorf  read  us  a  flower  fairy 
story,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  we  were  in  an 
enchanted  garden.  In  the  evening  the  music 
teacher,  together  with  his  pupils,  gave  us  a  home 
concert.  I  have  been  very  happy  to-day, 
neither  my  head  nor  my  heart  has  tormented 
me.  I  have  felt  myself  free,  sailing  on  through 
life. 

Tuesday. — Yesterday  was  a  very  happy  day. 


162          GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  hunt  ball.  After 
dinner  the  sharpshooters  formed  in  line,  and  the 
older  pupils  with  their  teachers  all  went  to  the 
trial  grounds.  The  little  ones  were  taken  by 
Middendorf  up  the  hill.  At  four  o'clock  Elise 
Froebel  and  I  carried  baskets  of  cakes  to  them, 
and  after  the  lunch  time  we  made  four  wreaths 
to  crown  the  kings  and  queens  of  the  festival. 
While  we  were  busy  with  the  wreaths  a  drum- 
beat announced  the  successful  sharpshooter 
among  the  older  pupils  who  had  struck  the 
heart  of  the  target,  which  was  a  red  and  gold 
eagle.  He  invited  Luise  Levin  to  share  the 
honor  of  the  day  with  him  by  being  the  queen  of 
the  festival.  Luise  had  previously  cared  for  the 
house,  but  is  now  one  of  the  devoted  teachers  in 
the  Institute,  and  hopes  soon  to  take  a  position 
as  a  kindergartner.  She  is  always  caring  for  me. 
Elise  Froebel  crowned  the  king  and  queen  with 
the  wreaths  we  had  made,  and  the  sharpshooters 
and  teachers  presented  the  gun  with  great 
ceremony  to  their  successful  companion,  the 
entire  company  joining  in  the  cheers,  and  we  all 
marched  toward  the  house  singing  gayly.  When 
we  reached  home,  one  of  the  leaders  among  the 
Republicans  attempted  to  raise  a  cry  against 
the  government,  but  he  was  unsuccessful.  The 
gifts  were  presented  to  the  different  students, 
when  one  of  the  teachers  announced:  "The 
king  and  queen  must  now  make  all  the  people 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU          163 

happy."  The  two  wearing  the  wreaths,  whether 
they  wished  to  or  not,  were  obliged  to  dance 
through  the  great  hall  in  the  presence  of  the 
laughing,  gay  company,  to  music  which  was 
without  time  or  rhyme.  The  little  children 
came  into  the  hall,  and  sister  Marie  was  their 
queen.  We  took  our  supper  on  the  lawn  soon 
after,  but  the  older  pupils  were  full  of  excite- 
ment, and  soon  hurried  away  to  make  their 
toilet  for  the  ball.  One  by  one  reappeared,  in 
festive  attire,  the  students,  with  white  trousers 
and  gloves,  leaving  a  trail  of  eau  de  Cologne 
behind  them.  The  ball  opened  brilliantly,  and 
not  until  the  gray  morning  dawned  did  we  finish 
the  last  cotillon. 

Sunday,  June  17,  Keilhau. — Dearest  parents, 
at  last  uncle  is  here!  Immediately  after  the 
festival  I  returned  to  Rudolstadt,  and  on  Friday 
evening  the  following  note  was  handed  to  me: 
"  Uncle  has  returned  to  Keilhau,  and  longs  to  see 
Fraulein  Henrietta  Breymann;  perhaps  to-mor- 
row. Please  pardon  the  liberty."  Signed  R. 
How  this  good  news  stirred  and  excited  me ! 
I  decided  to  go  back  to  Keilhau  the  next  morn- 
ing. On  second  thought  the  words  "perhaps 
to-morrow"  seemed  to  infer  that  there  was  no 
great  hurry.  Nevertheless  I  started,  accom- 
panied by  Marie  and  her  brother,  as  early  as 
five  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  way  to  Keilhau 
never  seemed  so  long  or  laborious.  I  was  met  on 


164          GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

my  early  arrival  by  the  astonishment  of  all,  and 
R.  smiled  when  he  saw  me.  He  said  uncle  had 
merely  asked  him,  in  case  he  should  see  me  on 
Friday  at  Rudolstadt,  to  let  me  know  that  he 
had  returned.  He  was,  therefore,  amused  at  my 
eagerness.  But  uncle  came  at  last,  and  fairly 
folded  his  arms  about  me,  his  ever  thoughtful 
look  smiling  upon  me.  "I  have  longed  to  see 
you,  my  dear  child,  and  thank  you  for  coming." 
Soon  after  breakfast  he  took  me  by  the  hand 
and  led  me  out  of  doors.  "  I  know  you  well,  my 
child,  from  your  letters  and  talks  with  Luise. 
Have  confidence  also  in  me.  I  think  I  find  in  you 
a  searching  soul,  and  perhaps  I  can  help  you  find 
that  for  which  you  search,  of  which  you  are 
perhaps  yourself  unconscious.  Tell  me  frankly 
what  you  wish  your  life  to  be?"  I  can  hardly 
describe  the  feeling  which  swept  over  me  as 
uncle  thus  spoke  to  me.  I  at  once  told  him 
everything,  everything  that  I  had  felt  in  body 
and  mind,  how  I  had  longed  with  my  whole 
heart  to  do  good,  but  had  done  so  little  as  yet. 
Yes,  dear  parents,  I  confessed  to  him  how  I  did 
not  enjoy  doing  daily  duties  at  home,  and  how 
it  was  hard  for  me  to  do  over  and  over  again 
household  work,  and  how  at  the  same  time 
I  longed  to  make  your  home  burden  lighter,  and 
help  share  the  care  of  the  children.  I  told  him 
how  often  I  felt  useless  and  weak  enough  to  die, 
and  how  it  seemed  that  death  would  be  my  only 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU  165 

salvation.  He  was  so  still,  letting  me  pour  out 
all  I  had  to  say,  and  when  I  was  quiet  again,  he 
put  his  arms  about  me:  "My  dear  child,  it  is 
not  given  me  to  be  a  father  in  the  literal  sense, 
but  for  this  very  reason  I  can  devote  my  life  to 
others,  and  so  to  you  I  can  also  be  a  father.  It 
is  not  without  a  purpose  that  God  has  given  you 
a  mind  of  greater  strength  than  your  body;  do 
not  rebel  against  nature.  Your  mind  is  seeking 
clearness,  is  looking  for  work.  Many  people 
grow  sick  in  body  because  the  mind  cannot  free 
itself.  Make  yourself  free  and  you  will  see  that 
the  soul  is  greater  than  the  body,  and  must 
triumph.  Never  seek  to  flee  from  the  body,  for 
before  you  can  be  an  angel  in  heaven  you  must 
be  one  on  earth.  I  want  to  help  you  be  one  here, 
and  I  am  sure  you  will  find  the  happiness  and 
peace  for  which  you  are  seeking."  He  continued 
to  speak  so  confidentially  and  appealingly  and 
so  beautifully.  Could  I  but  give  to  you  every 
word  as  it  reechoes!  He  opened  a  new  world 
for  me,  and  led  me  to  look  into  the  inner  life, 
and  I  seem  to  understand  that  no  one  lives  here 
on  earth  in  vain,  and  the  meaning  came  clear  to 
me  how  God  is  mighty  in  the  weak.  Yes,  I  am 
sure  that  humanity  is  a  unit,  and  to  each  is 
given  a  place  in  the  whole  if  he  but  recognize  it. 
Now  I  have  come  to  a  turning-point  in  my  life, 
and  I  see  its  high  purposes,  and  my  path  is 
suddenly  clear  before  me, — I  am  to  give  myself 


166          GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

to  childhood  and  its  nurture.  Dear  parents,  I 
can  now  help  you  better,  too.  I  can  keep  dear 
sister  Hedchen  from  experiencing  the  lonesome- 
ness  which  tormented  me  when  a  little  child,  and 
through  me  you  can  teach  Adolph,  Wilhelm,  and 
Erich,  and  so  I  can  help  you  all.  If  it  is  yours  or 
God's  will,  I  can  find  work  away  from  home, 
too,  for  my  plan  now  is  to  devote  myself  to  the 
teachings  of  uncle,  and  to  study  French  and 
English  at  the  same  time.  What  joy  it  brings 
to  me  to  feel  that  I  have  a  definite  life  work! 
I  have  told  Luise  all  about  my  plan,  and  she 
agrees  with  me  that  it  is  right,  and  will  soon  talk 
it  over  with  uncle. 

Keilhau,  June,  1848  (copy  from  my  journal). — 
I  have  finished  a  long  letter  to  my  parents,  and 
have  told  them  my  life-work  plans.  Will  these, 
indeed,  come  to  fulfillment?  God  grant  it.  At 
last,  at  last  I  am  to  find  a  rest  within  myself; 
I  am  to  have  a  definite  aim  in  life,  one  which 
will  give  me  the  right  to  think,  one  which  will 
enlarge  my  heart,  and  the  pursuit  of  which  will 
not  necessarily  separate  me  from  the  loved  ones 
at  home,  but  rather  make  me  capable  of  being 
a  better  daughter  and  a  better  sister.  I  have 
given  my  confidence  to  Luise,  and  I  feel  that  we 
are  coming  nearer  and  closer  together  each  day. 
We  speak  to  each  other  as  "thou."  She  wishes 
to  do  everything  possible  to  further  my  plans, 
and  I  will  ask  Middendorf  to  give  me  permission 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU          167 

to  follow  some  science  lessons  at  the  Institute. 
She  tells  me  that  I  have  made  a  deep  impression 
upon  uncle.  He  said  to  her:  "Henrietta  is  one 
of  us,  that  I  have  already  discovered.  Have 
you  noticed  how  her  character  shows  itself  in 
her  appearance  and  dress?"  When  uncle  first 
saw  me  I  wore  a  blue  and  white  striped  dress, 
blue  being  his  favorite  color.  The  waist  was 
finished  at  the  neck  and  belt  with  blue  satin 
ribbons;  each  bow  was  fastened  with  a  silver 
pin,  the  head  of  which  was  a  cube.  It  seemed 
that  these  pins  especially  pleased  Froebel. 
Luise  tells  me  that  the  cube  is  a  symbol  of  the 
fundamental  idea  of  Froebel's  educational 
scheme.  She  says  that  Froebel  illustrates  the 
law  of  mediation  in  the  second  play  gift  for  the 
children  by  means  of  the  sphere,  cube,  and 
cylinder.  Luise  has  told  me  many  interesting 
things  about  his  work,  much  of  which  is  not 
yet  clear  to  me,  and  it  even  seems  mysterious. 
I  have  never  heard  or  read  of  such  ideas  as  they 
have  here,  but  I  shall  certainly  understand  it  all 
if  I  am  only  permitted  to  stay  with  uncle.  If 
only  his  course  of  lessons  can  be  given  here  next 
winter,  and  if  I  only  can  stay  at  Keilhau! 

Froebel  lives  in  a  country  house  across  the 
way  from  the  Institute.  His  living  room  is  very 
comfortable,  and  Luise  has  told  me  that  his  first 
wife  was  a  most  cultured  woman,  one  who 
craved  beautiful  and  attractive  surroundings. 


168          GIRLHOOD   DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

Many  of  the  lovely  things  in  his  sitting-room 
came  from  her,  and  he  prizes  them  highly. 
Fresh  flowers  are  a  necessity  to  him,  and  Luise 
keeps  them  always  in  his  room.  So  long  as  the 
lilies  last  his  table  is  never  without  them.  He 
calls  the  lily  and  the  calla  his  "life-flowers," 
and  he  always  has  calla  growing  in  pots  wherever 
he  settles  down  to  live.  He  has  explained 
many  things  to  Luise  about  the  calla,  with 
reference  to  the  laws  of  life.  If  I  could  only 
understand  these  deep  things!  Hitherto  I  have 
loved  nature  above  all  else,  but  I  have  never 
studied  her,  for  no  one  has  ever  before  called  my 
attention  to  the  necessity  for  such  study. 
Froebel  thinks,  too,  that  I  should  spend  much 
time  with  the  plants,  and  he  has  said  to  me: 
"Plants,  in  their  fettered  silence,  reveal  far 
more  of  the  law  which  governs  life  than  do 
animals  or  man  with  all  their  freedom  of  motion, 
their  passions,  and  free  will.  Through  the 
latter  men  too  often  fall  into  mistaken  ways, 
and  bring  discord  into  life."  Also  from  the 
stones  and  the  crystals  uncle  reads  much  by 
which  to  interpret  the  human  soul.  In  the 
formation  of  these  he  finds  a  correspondence  to 
the  law  of  human  evolution.  Luise  showed  me 
a  box  containing  various  forms  of  wood,  which 
is  called  the  chest  of  "solids,"  which  uncle 
explains  in  hisstudy  course.  Shall  I  ever  fathom 
it  all? 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU  169 

At  one  time  uncle  conducted  an  institute  for 
kindergartners  in  the  next  village,  Blankenburg, 
but  it  was  given  up  on  account  of  insufficient 
money.  It  is  said  that  he  demanded  great 
moneys  for  this  institution  of  both  Barop  and 
Middendorf,  and  was  often  unpractical  and 
dictatorial.  Luise  is  very  sad  that  uncle  is  not 
better  understood.  She  clings  to  him  with 
daughterly  affection.  She  cares  for  him,  and 
believes  in  the  greatness  of  his  idea.  The  other 
women  of  Keilhau  do  not  seem  to  feel  the  same. 
One  sees  a  bitterness  among  them  whenever  the 
conversation  turns  on  the  subject  of  uncle. 
I  see  very  little  of  the  women  as  I  stay  on.  They 
are  entirely  occupied  with  their  households  and 
families.  They  do  their  own  cooking,  and  take 
turns  in  doing  the  household  work.  My  noble 
Elise  has  so  much  to  do,  now  in  the  cellar,  now 
in  the  kitchen,  at  the  wash-house,  or  in  the 
garden.  What  a  pity  that  she  cannot  spend 
more  time  with  the  boys  and  the  teachers,  for 
she  has  a  sureness  and  tact  in  association  with 
them  which  is  very  helpful,  and  all  rejoice  when 
she  comes  among  them  for  a  free  hour  with  her 
hand  work.  One  feels  in  her  presence  a  goodness 
which  has  a  lovely  influence  upon  all. 

The  Institute  buildings  are  divided  into  what 
is  called  the  "upper  and  the  lower  house," 
between  which  a  new  addition  is  being  built, 
which  is  intended  later  to  receive  the  youngest 


170         GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

boys.  In  the  upper  house  is  the  family  room,  in 
which  there  is  an  old  but  comfortable  sofa,  in 
fact,  the  only  one  which  I  have  ever  seen  in  the 
Institute ;  otherwise  the  entire  room  is  extremely 
plain,  without  adornment,  or  even  a  shimmer  of 
beauty, — but  I  love  this  room.  One  or  another 
who  has  a  free  hour,  or  wishes  to  chat  or  read 
a  little  if  he  finds  company,  comes  here.  Re- 
cently, when  it  was  too  cold  and  damp  in  the 
garden,  we  all  sat  there,  and  in  assigned  parts 
read  "Don  Carlos,"  but  I  must  write  you  all 
about  this  at  another  time.  On  the  floor  above 
the  Barops  have  their  home,  but  I  have  not  yet 
visited  them.  Frau  Barop  is  a  delicate,  gentle 
lady,  much  loved  by  the  boys.  In  the  lower 
house  live  the  grandparents,  Middendorf,  sister 
Marie,  and  the  five  Barop  daughters,  who  meet 
together  with  the  students  only  in  class  hours 
and  on  special  occasions.  I  am  all  day  long  in 
the  dining-room,  or  in  the  family  room  of  the 
upper  house,  or  in  the  garden.  I  take  a  fine 
walk  nearly  every  day,  usually  after  the  after- 
noon 'coffee,  otherwise  after  supper  between 
seven  and  eight  o'clock,  when  I  always  look  for 
one  of  the  women  to  accompany  me,  Elise, 
Luise,  and  Frau  von  Born,  or  Malchen,  and  when 
they  say  they  have  no  time  to  go  with  me,  I  help 
them  with  the  work  so  that  they  may  be  free 
and  have  an  hour  to  wander  in  the  beautiful 
outdoor  world.  Occasionally  some  of  the 


GIRLHOOD   DAYS  AT  KEILHAU  171 

gentlemen  join  us.  Yesterday  evening  uncle 
took  me  up  the  Kolm,  several  others  following 
us.  It  was  a  genuine  summer  evening;  the  trees 
rustled  softly,  and  fireworms  flitted  in  the  warm 
evening  light.  Some  one  had  presented  me  with 
a  beautiful  bouquet  of  roses,  and  I  put  several 
glowworms  in  among  the  petals.  The  effect 
was  fairy-like.  Uncle  took  one  of  the  dark  red 
roses  and  put  it  in  my  hair,  and  was  much 
pleased  over  the  magic  illumination  on  my  head 
made  by  the  glowworms  in  the  rose. 

Ill 

Keilhau  in  June  (from  my  Journal). — Uncle 
is  unremitting  in  his  work.  He  writes  letters 
day  and  night,  besides  traveling  about  a  great 
deal.  Together  with  several  men  from  else- 
where, whom  he  has  won  over  to  the  cause,  he 
has  called  a  meeting  of  educators,  to  be  held  at 
Rudplstadt,  in  August.  Ladies  are  to  be  invited 
also.  Uncle's  ideas  about  the  education  of 
women  and  children  are  being  discussed  in  many 
journals,  but  Luise  tells  me  that  they  are  as  yet 
little  understood  and  often  attacked.  At  this 
gathering  of  educators,  the  kindergarten  is  to  be 
openly  discussed,  and  although  Luise  is  a  little 
anxious  about  the  great  day,  she  firmly  believes 
that  the  good  cause  will  come  out  victorious. 
When  she  has  a  minute's  time  she  helps  uncle 
with  his  correspondence.  She  seldom  has  any 


172  GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

time  to  herself,  as  the  household  duties  are  many, 
and  Luise  must  help  in  these. 

Why  cannot  the  women  arrange  their  house- 
work so  that  there  is  some  time  left  for  other 
things?  Why  do  they  not  give  more  time  to  the 
teaching  of  the  boys?  The  young  men,  the 
teachers,  and  the  visiting  students,  who  came 
back  for  a  few  weeks,  are  always  greatly  pleased 
to  have  the  women  join  them.  I  like  to  talk 
with  this  one  and  the  other  one,  and  we  seem  to 
be  benefited  by  this  exchange  of  ideas.  How 
delightful  such  society  is !  In  former  days  uncle's 
wife  is  said  to  have  added  much  to  the  intellec- 
tual life  of  this  circle  of  men,  as  well  as  to  have 
mothered  the  young  boys.  Middendorf  thinks 
very  highly  of  her,  but  the  women  say  she  was 
not  plain  enough,  and  that  her  housekeeping 
was  not  practical.  Is  it  then  not  possible  to  be 
both  spiritually  minded  and  practical  at  the 
same  time?  It  must  be  possible. 

Saturday  evening  I  went  with  Luise  to  visit 
uncle,  and  helped  her  copy  letters.  I  must 
confess  that  I  would  have  enjoyed  taking  a  walk 
quite  as  well.  Uncle  begrudges  himself  all  rest. 
Toward  evening  he  goes  with  a  great  company 
of  Keilhau  children  to  Eichfeld  and  Schaale,  to 
play  the  games  which  are  to  be  given  by  the 
children  at  the  educational  meeting.  Some  of 
his  former  pupils  of  the  training  class  will  help 
him  in  the  games.  It  would  be  impossible  for 


GIRLHOOD   DAYS  AT  KEILHAU  173 

me  to  play  in  such  games  before  people, — am 
I  very  self-conscious? 

Uncle  values  the  play  of  children  highly.  He 
has  said  to  me:  "The  plays  of  a  child  are  his 
first  deeds.  We  must  put  such  material  in  his 
way  that  he  may  unconsciously  develop  into  all 
that  is  thoughtful  and  useful;  we  must  ever 
direct  the  play  toward  that  which  is  uplifting, 
so  that  even  the  play  of  his  life  may  be  noble. 
When  we  play  with  children  we  must  never  try 
to  bring  them  up  to  our  ideas,  but  must  look 
down  into  their  hearts,  and  become  childlike, 
and  must  thoughtfully  and  gently  study  their 
tendencies  and  motives;  inasmuch  as  we  do  this 
will  we  reach  the  child's  inner  nature  and  help 
him  unfold  beautifully.  We  must  cherish  the 
child's  nature,  from  his  birth  on  through  his 
whole  life ;  yes,  nurture  it, — for  this  is  your  work. 
An  educator  must  always  look,  like  a  gardener, 
to  the  future.  He  must  know  that  the  seed  he 
sows,  and  the  garden  he  lays  out,  will  in  time 
appear  altogether  different  from  the  day  he 
plants;  not  that  they  are  become  a  new  or 
entirely  different  thing — they  have  only  devel- 
oped what  was  within  them.  Such  is  the 
relationship  between  child  and  adult;  the  child 
is  man  in  the  germ.  This  should  be  a  holything 
to  us  while  still  in  its  dependency.  This  germ- 
power  must  be  understood,  and  when  you 
understand  it,  you  have  found  the  Ariadne 


174  GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

thread  which  will  guide  you  through  the  laby- 
rinth of  life.  Verily,  young  women  and  mothers, 
you  have  great  things  in  your  power.  A  new 
sense  is  stirring  everywhere,  and  you  are  called 
in  the  new  times  to  accomplish  the  great  and 
the  untried." 

Why  is  it  that  nearly  all  of  the  gentlemen 
here  make  light  remarks  ridiculing  the  games 
which  uncle  plays  with  the  children,  and  often 
slighting  remarks  about  the  kindergarten?  I 
must  confess  that  I  cannot  always  be  angry 
with  them  for  these  remarks,  and  am  often 
tempted  to  laugh  with  them.  But  as  often  as 
I  hear  uncle  speak  about  the  meaning  of  these 
things,  I  see  all  in  another  light  and  feel  heartily 
ashamed  of  myself.  Uncle  fairly  stirs  my  soul 
with  his  thoughts.  If  only  I  could  see  the 
connection  between  his  principles  and  these 
games,  which  are  very  strange  to  me!  New 
light  will  come,  I  am  sure,  when  we  begin  our 
course  of  lessons  in  October,  and  then  I  can 
better  defend  the  cause  of  "Herrn  Froebel" 
when  the  gentlemen  make  their  attacks.  I 
shall  study  diligently  with  uncle  when  the  class 
begins,  meanwhile  I  must  enjoy  the  blissful 
freedom  which  I  feel  here.  I  must  take  deep, 
deep  draughts  of  this  air  which  surrounds  us, 
in  which  the  natural  and  spiritual  seem  to  melt 
into  one. 

A  letter. — This  is  what  my  heart  has  said  over 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU  175 

and  over  again  these  last  few  days:  "If  only 
dear  father  were  here ! "  or,  "  If  I  were  only  with 
you  now,  dearest  mother,  and  with  all  of  you  in 
our  dear  home!"  All  is  darkened  and  troubled 
within  me.  If  only  a  single  ray  of  light  might 
break  through  this  inner  chaos!  It  is  true  that 
I  have  grown  richer  and  older  in  experience 
during  the  past  weeks;  I  have  pressed  forward 
through  many  dark  places;  and  when  I  think  of 
all  that  I  have  thought  out  and  worked  through 
in  my  short  life,  I  tremble  at  the  thought  of  all 
that  still  awaits  me  before  I  may  behold  the 
pure  light  of  truth.  I  long  for  rest;  I  yearn  to 
lose  myself  in  the  eternity  of  truth.  At  the  same 
time  I  ask,  Does  the  soul  ever  rest?  The  answer 
comes,  No,  no,  I  cannot  conceive  of  spirit 
without  activity.  Thus  thinking  on  an  eternity 
of  working  and  striving,  I  grow  weary,  and  long 
for  an  endless  sleep,  such  as  death, — a  sleep 
without  dreams,  without  pictures;  deep  down  in 
the  cool,  still  earth,  with  the  light  of  the  sun, 
the  dew  of  the  flowers,  and  the  rustling  of  the 
trees  over  me. 

It  is  grown  quite  clear  to  me  that  I  am  not 
intended  to  stand  and  work  in  the  great  world. 
I  am  unable  to  guide  the  helm  out  on  the  agitated 
world-ocean.  Only  where  I  understand  all,  can 
prove  all,  and  grasp  the  meaning  of  all,  only 
there  can  I  be  happy  and  make  others  happy. 
And  yet,  the  quiet  stream  by  which  I  loiter, 


176          GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

does  it  not  run  on  to  the  great  ocean?  do  not  its 
water  drops  mingle  with  those  of  the  ocean's 
huge  waves,  which  rise  and  fall  in  ceaseless 
changings? 

September  3. — The  above  I  wrote  some  time 
ago,  while  the  impressions  of  the  Rudolstadt 
teachers'  convention  were  still  confusing  and 
confounding  me.  Fourteen  days  are  now  passed, 
and  this  quiet  Sunday  morning,  while  all  is 
restful  within  me,  I  will  try  to  give  you  a  sketch 
of  our  recent  experience,  which  is  now  being  so 
widely  discussed.  Have  patience  with  me  if 
I  do  not  tell  what  happened  in  the  right  order, 
for  it  was  the  first  time  in  my  life  that  I  ever 
attended  anything  like  a  teachers'  convention, 
and  so  I  was  deeply  impressed  by  all  I  saw  and 
heard.  Activity  and  progress  surround  us.  The 
old  schoolmasters  are  waking  from  their  long 
sleep,  and  it  is  evident  that  a  renewed  and 
unified  spirit  of  the  people  can  only  be  attained 
by  national  education.  And  the  Froebel  kinder- 
garten was  acknowledged  at  the  teachers' 
convention  as  the  foundation  of  such  an  educa- 
tion. The  kindergarten  was  shown  to  be  the 
connection  between  the  family  and  the  school, 
and  by  means  of  these  methods  the  children  are 
brought  into  vital  connection  with  the  life- 
whole,  which  like  a  tree  grows  up  out  of  the 
germ  of  sacred  family  life. 

Froebel  spared  no  pains  to  bring  about  the 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU          177 

convention.  No  journey  was  too  far,  no  weather 
so  bad  that  it  could  keep  him  from  carrying 
out  his  plans.  He  secured  accommodations  for 
two  to  three  hundred  people  in  Rudolstadt, 
and  every  one  gladly  received  them.  Here  in 
Keilhau  also  were  guests,  and  among  them  some 
of  the  kindergartners  previously  trained  by 
Froebel.  There  was  excitement  and  bustle  on 
all  sides.  Over  those  of  us  only  who  stand 
faithfully  for  Froebel  hung  a  cloud  of  depression. 
We  feared  for  his  peculiarities  of  speech ;  for  so 
many  new  thoughts  surge  up  while  he  is  speak- 
ing, and  his  sentences  often  grow  lengthy  and 
tangled,  and  his  meaning  grows  involved  and 
indefinite,  and  who  would  presume  to  make  his 
meaning  clear  to  others  when  he  himself  failed. 

Luise  and  Amalie  Krueger,  and  other  kinder- 
gartners, dreaded  playing  the  games  with  the 
children  of  Keilhau  and  Eichfeld,  for  neither  of 
these  places  have  a  kindergarten.  The  children 
were  especially  trained  for  this  occasion,  that 
the  people  might  have  a  practical  example  of  the 
Froebel  children's  games. 

At  last  the  great  day  came,  finding  some  of  us 
full  of  fear  and  trembling.  All  eagerly  took  their 
way  to  Rudolstadt.  Thursday  was  spent  in 
general  preparations.  Dr.  Sommer  of  Salzungen, 
and  Dr.  Kell  of  Leipzig,  were  made  president 
and  vice  president.  Eight  directors  were 
selected,  and  Middendorf  was  made  one  of 


178          GIRLHOOD   DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

them.  The  evenings  were  spent  in  music. 
Early  the  second  morning  all  the  kindergartners 
gathered  at  the  house  of  Frau  Baehring,  where 
I  found  them,  and  together  we  went  to  the  hotel 
"Ritter,"  where  the  first  session  was  being  held. 
Many  people  were  already  assembled  when  the 
kindergarten  children  from  Saalfeld  came  in 
their  wagon,  which  was  covered  with  wreaths 
and  flowers.  The  lower  part  of  the  hall  was 
filled  with  teachers,  while  the  galleries  were 
crowded  with  visitors,  prompted  either  by 
curiosity  or  interest.  The  citizens  of  Rudolstadt 
stood  guard  at  the  open  doors  of  the  hall. 
Under  the  royal  box  a  platform  was  placed, 
decorated  with  flowers  and  green  wreaths.  Here 
the  presidents  and  directors  took  their  seats. 
Over  this  platform  was  hung  a  picture  of  Jesus 
blessing  the  little  children,  while  on  either  side 
were  appropriate  mottoes.  Unfortunately  I  can 
remember  but  one  of  these,  which  read  as 
follows:  "Come  let  us  give  our  lives  to  the 
children." 

IV 

(Continued  from  letter  describing  the  Rudolstadt 
Convention}. — When  the  entire  company  were 
gathered  together  and  in  order,  all  arose  and 
sang  with  deep  feeling,  to  the  melody  of 
"Ein*  feste  Burg  ist  unser  Gott,"  appropriate 
words,  which  had  been  composed  by  Midden- 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU  179 

dorf,  each  stanza  of  which  closed  with  an 
exhortation  to  live  with  the  children.  After 
appropriate  greetings,  the  president  explained 
in  a  few  clear,  concise  sentences,  that  there 
was  need  for  a  new  foundation  for  education, 
and  expressed  the  hope  that  those  attending 
the  convention  might  seek  to  learn  and  test 
the  true  spirit  of  the  kindergarten  in  order  to 
see  whether  this  might  not  be  the  new  founda- 
tion required. 

Then  Froebel  arose,  but  before  he  began  to 
speak,  he  put  both  hands  to  his  head  and 
trembled  visibly  for  a  moment.  Then  he  raised 
his  head,  and  from  the  eyes  of  the  seventy-year- 
old  man  streamed  a  soulful  light.  Now  he  stood 
calm  and  firm  before  us. 

He  led  a  little  girl,  with  her  mother,  to  a  table 
upon  which  were  placed  the  various  occupation 
materials.  He  left  the  child  to  build  with  the 
blocks.  The  lovely  little  girl  gave  one  frank 
look  into  the  faces  of  the  assembled  company, 
and  then  hid  her  head  in  her  mother's  lap. 
Froebel  spoke  to  the  child,  and  soon  had  her  full 
confidence.  He  then  turned  to  the  company,' 
taking  for  his  theme — "I  lead  you  now  into  the 
holy  of  holies — the  family.'^ 

I  cannot  begin  to  give  you  his  words  in  detail. 
I  was  so  much  affected  by  his  speech  that  I  did 
not  always  follow  his  meaning  closely.  But 
I  remember  that  he  said,  among  other  things: 


180          GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

"The  new  education  must  be  founded  upon 
a  different  law  of  development,  for  our  children 
and  youth  everywhere  are  in  need  of  suitable 
material  by  which  they  may  work  out  their 
activities.  The  child  is  developed,  not  alone 
through  knowing,  but  also  through  working, 
and  his  self-activity  is  above  all  others  the 
incentive  for  his  development." 

Now  the  children  came  marching  and  singing 
into  the  hall,  led  by  the  following  kindergartners: 
Luise  Levin,  Christiane  Erdmann,  Amalie 
Krueger,  Auguste  Steiner,  Ida  Weiler,  Auguste 
Harold ,  and  several  others.  This  Froebel  took  as 
an  illustration  by  which  to  lead  us  from  the  consid- 
eration of  family  life  to  that  of  the  community. 

It  is  true  that  Froebel  went  into  much  detail 
about  plays  and  games,  and  his  explanations  of 
them  did  not  seem  altogether  clear  to  me.  But 
the  hearts  of  the  people  were  opened,  and  made 
receptive.  The  touching  unconsciousness  of  the 
children,  their  clear  and  irresistible  voices,  had 
once  more  aroused  in  the  entire  company  the 
great  love  of  childhood,  and  such  love,  I  am 
sure,  not  only  believes  and  hopes,  but  has  also 
great  tolerance.  A  deep  satisfaction  seemed  to 
rest  upon  the  company. 

I  wrote  down  at  the  time  some  of  Froebel's 
statements  about  play,  and  I  will  here  copy 
them  from  my  notebook:  "The  gesture-plays 
are  very  important  as  symbols  of  ideas,  which 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU  181 

the  children  are  not  yet  old  enough  to  under- 
stand." As  an  illustration  he  mentioned  the 
circle-play  in  which  one  child  stands  in  the 
middle  of  the  ring,  and  how  in  spite  of  the  great 
variety  of  children,  unity  is  secured  by  the  fact 
that  all  respond  to  one  central  point.  At  one 
time  the  children  formed  three  circles,  one 
within  the  other,  to  illustrate  the  bark,  wood, 
and  marrow  of  the  tree,  which  he  said  might 
equally  well  be  made  to  stand  for  happiness, 
unity,  and  love.  Through  such  thoughtful 
representations,  Froebel  hopes  to  instill  in  men 
the  idea  of  harmony;  through  these  he  believes 
might  be  aroused  the  three  fundamental  activ- 
ities of  the  soul, — will,  intellect,  and  feeling, — 
and  by  means  of  physical  activity,  and  word 
and  rhyme,  he  believes  that  these  may  be 
translated  into  action.  I  have  noticed  for  many 
years  how  seldom  bodily  and  spiritual  activities 
are  in  harmony.  Man  seems  to  lean  either 
entirely  to  the  one  or  to  the  other.  How  highly 
important  it  is  for  the  genuine  woman  that  she 
should  blend  her  household  work  with  her 
spiritual  endeavors,  and  yet  how  seldom  are 
these  two  activities  harmonized.  When  they 
are  found,  such  women  stand  out  like  single 
stars  in  a  dark  night.  May  I  be  a  worthy 
reflection  of  one  such  woman — my  own,  noble, 
beloved  mother.  Froebel's  plays  seem  to  me  to 
be  so  arranged  that  they  will  supply  various 


182  GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

great  needs.  The  child  is  not  led  into  abstract 
worlds,  but  is  encouraged  to  embody  his  ideas  in 
appropriate  physical  action.  Body  and  soul  are 
thus  mingled  in  unity. 

So  closed  the  first  morning  of  the  convention. 
The  afternoon  was  set  apart  for  the  plays  which 
were  arranged  for  the  older  children.  They 
assembled  in  the  open  air  at  the  appointed  place. 
Froebel  stepped  into  the  midst  and  seemed  to  be 
possessed  with  such  a  zealous  play  spirit  that  he 
omitted  all  words  of  introduction  or  explanation 
concerning  what  was  to  come.  The  visitors  felt 
a  little  disappointed  on  this  account,  and  the 
wish  was  expressed  that  Middendorf,  whose 
sympathetic  nature  had  won  all  hearts,  should 
step  into  the  children's  circle,  and  make  explana- 
tions, but  because  of  deep  considerateness,  he 
did  not  consent.  Knowing  Froebel's  zeal  so 
well,  he  knew  that  such  interference  would  not 
be  accepted. 

Yes,  if  Froebel  had  but  the  character  of  a 
Middendorf!  The  latter  seems  to  me  truly  like 
the  Christ,  always  full  of  love  and  consideration 
for  others.  Froebel  also  lives  for  others.  He 
sacrifices  everything  for  his  idea,  the  accom- 
plishing of  which  he  expects  will  bring  blessedness 
to  all  mankind ;  in  so  doing  he  fails  to  consider 
the  individual,  and  is  often  harsh  and  tyrannical 
even  to  the  beloved,  noble  Middendorf,  who  is 
his  truest  friend. 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU  183 

So  the  afternoon  games  were  stretched  out, 
and  we  all  feared  that  Froebel's  work  would 
suffer  a  fall,  just  as  in  the  morning  we  had  hoped 
for  the  highest  success.  Ridiculing  remarks 
were  made  about  the  games  by  onlookers. 
Froebel  was  excited  and  disturbed  beyond  all 
description,  and  became  unconscious  of  everyone 
and  everything  about  him.  Beautiful  as  such 
unconsciousness  is  in  one  sense,  on  this  day  it 
worked  serious  mischief,  and  I  must  confess  that 
I  could  not  understand  how  these  endless  plays 
especially  illustrated  Froebel's  idea.  Yes,  I 
must  confess  that  some  of  them  seemed  even 
ridiculous.  The  idea  that  playing  according  to 
directions  should  make  men  noble,  seemed  to  me 
so  narrow  and  limited  and  unnatural.  At  last 
came  the  closing  song.  The  poor  kindergartners, 
especially  my  good  Luise,  were  thoroughly 
exhausted,  and  one  gentleman  who  had  joined 
our  party  proposed  that  we  should  go  to  the  inn 
for  refreshments.  We  ordered  tea,  and  antici- 
pated a  quiet  hour  after  the  great  excitement  of 
the  day.  But  soon  a  number  of  strangers,  both 
gentlemen  and  ladies,  joined  us,  and  in  a  short 
time  we  were  all  in  earnest  discussion  concerning 
Froebel  and  his  ideas.  We  soon  realized  that 
sincere  voices  were  being  raised  against  him, 
and  we  feared  for  him.  I  was  especially  uncom- 
fortable over  my  own  feeling  of  disagreement  in 
the  matter.  During  the  afternoon  games  I 


184          GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

found  myself  next  to  a  Dresden  woman,  whom 
I  had  noticed  with  the  greatest  interest  at  the 
morning  session.  It  was  Fraulein  Johanna 
Kuestner,  who  had  accompanied  Thekla  von 
Gumpert,  a  special  friend  of  uncle.  Her  exquisite 
figure,  her  pale,  plain,  but  noble  face,  which 
expressed  great  intelligence  and  sympathy, 
attracted  me  to  her,  and  I  was  filled  with  the 
desire  to  know  her  better.  The  afternoon 
brought  me  my  wish.  But  one  hour  was  needed 
for  us  to  grow  well  acquainted  and  love  each 
other.  Oh  how  this  little  inner  world  in  which 
I  here  live  expands  and  widens!  Johanna  has 
taught  her  younger  sisters  since  she  was  eighteen 
years  old,  but  she  feels  a  certain  emptiness  in 
the  work,  and  that  she  has  not  yet  found  the 
right  path  in  education.  She  joined  us,  to  our 
great  pleasure,  at  this  afternoon  tea  and  discus- 
sion, which  little  by  little  became  very  gay  as 
one  by  one  became  weary  of  the  serious  debate. 
Eight  o'clock  found  us  again  in  the  "Ritter- 
saale,"  not  for  discussion,  but  for  a  happy, 
social  time.  The  citizens  of  Rudolstadt  had 
provided  a  concert  for  their  guests,  the  program 
of  which  was  altogether  too  overpowering  for  me. 
I  longed  to  go  by  myself  out  into  the  stillness  of 
nature.  I  proposed  this  to  Luise,  and  together 
we  quietly  left  the  hall  with  its  oppressive 
atmosphere.  What  a  pleasure  it  was  to  take 
a  deep,  refreshing  breath !  Middendorf  and  one 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU  185 

of  his  young  friends  followed  us,  and  after 
leaving  the  hall  in  the  distance  we  still  heard  the 
closing  chorus,  which  was  given  by  a  strong 
Miinnerchor.  We  watched  the  people  pour  out 
from  the  "Ritter,"  but  I  was  so  weary  of  the 
confusion  that  I  turned  my  eyes  toward  the  dark 
hills.  Moon  and  stars  shone  out  through  the 
white  clouds.  The  music  had  already  quieted 
the  storm  within  me,  and  the  mild  night  com- 
pleted the  peace  which  fell  upon  me.  Silently 
we  walked  on  together.  Oh  beloved  ones,  those 
were  priceless  moments ! 

Saturday  morning  promised  a  sultry  day.  We 
feared  storm  and  rain,  and  the  air  was  heavy 
and  oppressive.  Nevertheless  the  convention 
was  better  attended  than  the  day  before,  and 
although  the  program  was  announced  to  begin 
at  seven  o'clock,  an  hour  was  spent  in  informal 
discussions  for  and  against  Froebel's  work. 
I  tried  to  make  notes  of  the  different  points,  but 
was  so  frequently  carried  away  by  the  deep 
meaning  of  the  speakers  that  I  forgot  all  about 
my  writing.  I  only  regret  that  I  cannot  give 
you,  dear  parents,  a  complete  account  of  the 
program,  although  I  know  that  the  chief  points 
are  written  in  my  soul. 

Dr.  K.  was  the  first  speaker:  "We  are 
certainly  all  agreed  that  the  establishing  of 
kindergartens  is  a  necessity;  and  that  in  the 
same  even  children  from  two  to  six  years  old,  of 


186          GIRLHOOD   DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

different  classes,  can  be  prepared  to  live  together 
in  unity;  that  by  means  of  them  the  home 
training  is  completed ;  that  they  help  the  home 
life,  and  that  they  provide  a  more  uniform 
preparation  for  all  children  to  later  school  life. 
However  great  and  important  these  ideas  seem, 
I  did  not  recognize  them  in  the  demonstration 
of  the  kindergarten  which  was  made  for  us 
yesterday.  Froebel  has  a  subjective  and 
individualized  personality,  and  his  educational 
ideas  emphatically  reflect  the  same.  It  will 
require  an  entire  generation  to  simplify  kinder- 
garten practice,  and  set  it  free  from  its  too 
emphatic  symbolism.  I  hold  that  it  is  an  injury 
to  child  nature  to  lead  him  too  early  to  observing 
and  discriminating  the  geometric  forms  as 
illustrated  in  the  cube,  folding  paper,  etc.  The 
Froebel  gifts,  as  they  are  supposed  to  be  pre- 
sented to  the  child,  suggest  too  strongly  the 
dissecting  knife  method.  Froebel  will  not 
stubbornly  hold  to  his  method  of  presenting  the 
same  if  we  can  show  him  a  more  normal  and 
natural  application  of  his  kindergarten  idea,  and 
if  we  reject  all  artificiality  and  place  the  same 
upon  the  simple  platform  of  nature." 

Froebel  made  a  short  reply  to  this  address, 
which  was  followed  with  closest  interest.  He 
proved  that  his  educational  method  corrob- 
orated not  only  nature's  laws,  but  also  those  of 
Christianity,  and  that  it  is,  therefore,  simple  and 


GIRLHOOD   DAYS  AT  KEILHAU  187 

in  correspondence  with  the  laws  of  development, 
which  govern  child  nature.  His  words  were 
clear,  and  were  met  with  great  favor. 

He  was  followed  by  a  young  schoolmaster, 
who  was  sent  out  to  investigate  the  Froebel 
method  by  the  Minister  of  Education  of  Dresden. 
He  spoke  in  substance:  "Froebel  stands  before 
us  as  child,  man,  hero,  and  helper,  as  well  as 
friend  and  father,  and  with  this  last  title,  let  us 
claim  him.  His  work  is  like  an  overflowing 
fountain,  out  of  which  we  have  much  to  draw, 
but  which  needs  clarifying.  I  look  into  Froebel's 
creative  genius  as  into  a  holy  chaos;  myriads  of 
thoughts  crowd  upon  him,  and  there  is  no  time 
for  him  to  bring  each  of  these  into  simple, 
readable  form.  He  is,  indeed,  the  creator  of  the 
kindergarten,  but  not  its  builder.  His  scheme 
requires  modification,  and  his  philosophy,  to- 
gether with  what  he  calls  his  system,  are  not 
clear  to  me.  We  do  not  need  a  system  for  the 
living  together  of  little  children.  I  shudder  at 
such  a  plan,  as  I  do  before  Froebel's  so-called 
'Kindergarten  Philosophy.'  Right  here  may 
I  ask  the  question,  Do  children  in  the  kinder- 
garten play,  or  do  they  work?" 

Froebel  arose.  His  face  was  red  with  anger  as 
he  forbade  such  to  call  him  father  who  do  not 
understand  him,  nor  wish  to  understand  him. 
He  declared  his  system  to  be  clear,  and  his 
philosophy  simple  for  such  as  are  able  to  rec- 


188          GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

ognize  the  organic  plan  of  the  universe,  together 
with  the  laws  which  govern  the  same.  "The 
smallest  child  must  be  guided  according  to  these 
laws,  for  he  is  a  part  of  the  whole.  These  laws 
must  hold  good  in  his  earliest  plays,  for  they  are 
written  within  the  nature  of  the  child,  and  all 
his  doings  are  symbolic  of  them,  and  my  kinder- 
garten games  and  occupations  therefore  appeal 
to  him.  The  rules  of  these  plays  and  occupa- 
tions, which  are  indicated  to  the  child  through 
the  correct  guiding  of  the  adult,  prepare  him  for 
all  actions  of  his  later  life.  The  child  has 
intimations  of  these  laws  in  his  innocent  aspira- 
tion; he  expresses  them  symbolically  in  his 
daily  activities,  and  therefore  the  kindergarten 
reinforces  the  institutional  life  which  stands  to 
every  human  being  as  God's  law.  The  children 
play  in  the  kindergarten,  but  these  plays  are 
founded  on  world-wide  truths,  and  the  child  is 
therefore  led  through  play  out  upon  the  true 
path  of  life." 

"Where  shall  we  find  women  capable  of 
understanding  Froebel's  teachings,  or  of  apply- 
ing them?  Where  and  how  are  they  to  be 
trained  for  such  a  work?"  Some  one  from  the 
audience  asked  these  questions.  Froebel  replied : 
"When  Napoleon  needed  able  generals,  he  found 
them.  So  I  will  find  able  gardeners  when  once 
I  am  given  the  garden."  The  Dresden  school- 
master who  had  been  so  frankly  reproved  again 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU  189 

took  up  the  word :  "  Froebel  expects  his  kinder- 
gartens, which  he  promises  will  bring  such 
uplifting  to  the  human  race,  to  be  conducted  by 
women,  or,  in  other  words,  that  his  deeply 
philosophical  ideas  shall  be  made  practical  by 
women.  I  must  confess  that  the  thought  of 
'philosophical'  women  makes  me  shudder."  He 
continued  in  this  manner  for  some  time,  and 
a  lengthy  discussion  on  the  education  of  women 
followed. 

My  heart-beats  were  almost  audible,  so 
indignant  was  I  at  these  remarks  of  the  men  who 
evidently  thought  us  women  inferior  beings! 
And  are  we  then  only  here  to  serve  the  men,  to 
be  under  their  command,  to  have  our  life  pro- 
gram dictated  entirely  by  them,  to  be  nothing  of 
ourselves?  To  be  sure  there  is  nothing  higher 
or  more  beautiful  in  life  than  to  serve  the  man 
one  loves  and  honors,  but  it  would  never  occur 
to  me  to  respect  a  man  who  considered  me,  as 
compared  with  himself,  an  inferior  creature,  for 
the  great  and  only  reason  that  he  is  a  man  and 
I  a  woman,  especially  if  I  should  find  him 
stupid,  foolish,  or  unmoral,  and  unfortunately 
I  know  so  many,  many  foolish  and  stupid  men ! 

It  brought  peace  to  my  heart  to  think  that 
Froebel  and  Middendorf  had  such  a  different 
opinion  of  women  from  the  majority  of  men; 
that  they  honored  us  as  worthy  to  fill  a  position 
as  guardians  of  childhood  even  though  unmar- 


190          GIRLHOOD   DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

ried;  that  we,  as  unmarried,  might  still  work 
together  with  them  in  good  sense  and  sincerity, 
to  uplift  human  society;  that  we  might  be 
something  or  become  something  in  and  of 
ourselves. 

My  impulse  was  to  go  straight  to  these  lordly 
speakers  and  tell  them  what  I  here  write  to  you, 
but  I  could  not  bring  myself  to  speak  in  the 
open  meeting.  Who,  indeed,  would  arise  and 
defend  us  poor  creatures? 

Johanna  Kuestner  arose.  A  deep  stillness 
pervaded,  while  in  a  few  clear  words  she  asked 
that  women  also  be  treated  as  complete  human 
beings.  She  added  that  we  must  be  treated  as 
such,  and  that  in  the  future  we  would  demand  an 
altogether  different  education  from  that  in  the 
past,  in  order  that  we  might  be  capable  of 
carrying  forward  scientific  and  philosophical 
studies.  With  these  words  she  turned  to  the 
speaker  to  whom  philosophical  women  were 
such  a  horror.  No  conclusion  was  reached  with 
reference  to  the  education  and  position  of 
women.  The  discussion  turned  again  to  the 
methods  and  means  of  the  kindergarten  occupa- 
tions, to  the  dangers  of  playful  work,  and  other 
miscellaneous  considerations  of  the  subject  of 
play.  Then  one  speaker  argued  emphatically 
that  there  was  no  necessity  for  the  founding  of 
kindergartens.  He  held  that  the  family  was  the 
only  correct  place  for  the  training  of  children 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU  191 

before  they  reached  the  school  age,  and  that  so 
far  as  he  was  concerned,  it  was  entirely  an 
unnatural  development  to  drag  little  children 
out  of  their  small  circle  of  experience.  Another 
speaker  urged  that  the  kindergarten  be  instituted 
only  where  there  is  an  abnormal  family  environ- 
ment; such  as  where  the  mother  is  obliged  to 
work  outside  the  home  for  support. 

Until  two  o'clock  the  discussion  swung  back 
and  forth.  On  the  whole  only  a  few  voices 
were  raised  against  the  establishment  of  the 
kindergarten,  and  the  chief  difference  of  opinion 
was  as  to  the  method  of  introducing  and  carry- 
ing forward  the  work,  and  how  the  organization 
and  introduction  of  same  might  be  made  with 
reference  to  the  organized  school  system.  At 
last  a  vote  was  taken  that  the  kindergarten  be 
universally  introduced,  but  the  "how"  this 
should  be  done  was  left  for  the  afternoon  session. 

These  men  who  spoke  so  emphatically  against 
the  method  and  manner  of  the  Froebel  kinder- 
garten, what  did  they  know  of  the  subject?  For 
a  few  hours  only  they  had  seen  children  playing, 
building,  weaving,  and  folding.  How  could 
they  judge  of  the  entire  scheme,  which,  no 
doubt,  would  take  years  of  study  to  understand? 
This  is  what  I  frankly  told  the  Dresden  school- 
master at  the  close  of  the  meeting,  after  Luise 
and  I  had  had  a  long  conversation  with  him. 
You  can  imagine  how  frightened  I  was  in  the 


192          GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

afternoon,  when  this  same  gentleman  opened 
his  speech  with  the  following  words:  "There 
are  those  among  the  honored  ladies  here  who 
feel  that  I  am  incapable  of  passing  final  judg- 
ment upon  Froebel's  scheme,  and  yet  I  have 
been  sent  to  this  place  in  order  to  investigate, 
test,  and  prove  this  subject,  and  after  seeing 
and  hearing  all  that  I  did  yesterday  and  to-day 
I  am  unable  to  withdraw  a  single  word  which 
I  have  spoken,  although  I  am  willing  to  confess 
that  possibly  the  entire  matter  is  not  yet  clearly 
understood  by  me,  and,  perhaps,  has  not  yet 
been  presented  in  its  fullest  light."  Several 
times  he  made  reference  to  the  "right  honorable 
ladies,"  and,  looking  our  way,  smiled  at  us. 
I  was  glad  in  the  end  that  our  impulsive  words 
had  made  such  an  impression  upon  him. 

Nevertheless,  this  all-important  afternoon 
witnessed  a  great  battle  between  Froebel  and 
his  opposers.  I  was  frightened  and  anxious. 
If  you  could  have  witnessed  how  uncle  struggled 
and  battled  against  those  who  wished  to  take 
away  his  kindergarten  idea  by  consigning  it  to 
the  place  of  a  children's  asylum!  I  could  hardly 
contain  myself.  To  be  sure,  I  myself  often  feel 
opposed  to  many  phases  of  Froebel's  method, 
but  does  that  reduce  to  nothing  his  entire 
scheme  of  development?  It  is  a  different 
matter  to  interpret  Froebel's  educational  phi- 
losophy in  various  ways  from  condemning  it 


GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU          193 

altogether,  and  that  is  what  these  men  have 
done.  They  are  willing  to  have  kindergartens, 
but  only  in  a  superficial  way,  and  if  possible 
they  wish  Froebel  himself  to  have  very  little 
to  do  with  them.  But  his  life  is  as  closely 
bound  up  with  the  kindergarten  as  are  body  and 
spirit,  and  if  they  insist  upon  making  a  separa- 
tion between  them  it  would  kill  him. 

Up  to  this  point  Middendorf  had  not  spoken 
a  word,  but  the  moment  in  which  Froebel  began 
to  waver,  he  made  the  effort  to  arise,  and,  as  he 
told  me  afterwards,  his  intention  was  to  call 
upon  the  students  of  Froebel  that  they  might 
testify  how  his  teachings  had  brought  light  to 
their  minds,  and  had  given  them  a  greater 
insight  into  the  child's  soul;  that  they  them- 
selves had  found  peace  and  joy  in  their  work, 
and  how  true  happiness  had  been  brought  to  the 
children.  I  had  reached  the  highest  point  of 
excitement  in  this  awful  moment,  scarcely 
knowing  what  to  expect  next,  when  all  at  once 
the  debate  took  an  entirely  new  direction.  The 
excitement  and  storm  which  had  laid  hold  of 
Froebel  seemed  suddenly  to  leave  him,  and  a 
restful  calm  came  over  him  as  he  held  out  his 
hand  in  token  of  peace.  The  manner  and  spirit 
in  which  he  did  this  brought  response  from 
many  hearts,  and  all  were  drawn  nearer  together 
at  once.  The  closing  resolution,  to  which  the 
majority  gave  cordial  assent,  was  as  follows: 


194          GIRLHOOD  DAYS  AT  KEILHAU 

"  Resolved,  That  the  state  governments,  as 
well  as  the  national  government,  shall  be  urged 
to  seriously  consider  the  claims  of  the  kinder- 
garten, and  bring  into  use  the  rich  educational 
material  presented  by  Froebel,  to  found  the 
kindergartens,  and  to  provide  for  the  training 
of  kindergartners,  and,  where  necessary,  make 
financial  provision  for  the  same." 

After  this  resolution  was  formulated  and 
accepted  a  thundering  cheer  was  given  "Father 
Froebel,"  which  at  the  same  time  served  as  the 
closing  benediction  upon  the  exciting  days  at 
Rudolstadt.  The  doors  were  thrown  open,  the 
delegates  of  the  assembly  poured  forth  into  the 
coolness.  Later  in  the  evening  there  were 
illuminations,  and  all  enjoyed  the  promenade 
under  the  linden  and  chestnut  trees.  Songs 
were  sung,  and  I  can  tell  you  that  I  relieved  my 
aroused  feelings  by  singing  with  all  my  might. 
Could  you  only  have  been  with  me  there,  dear 
parents,  on  this  triumphant,  happy  evening 
which  followed  after  the  days  of  earnest  struggle ! 
Many  playful  remarks  were  exchanged  between 
Froebel  and  his  opposers,  but  the  last  toast 
sounded  as  follows:  "  Long  live  Froebel,  woman- 
kind, and  harmony." 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Autobiography  of  Froebel  translated  and  annotated  by 

E.  Michaelis  and  H.  K.  Moore. 
Friedrich    Froebel.    A     Biographical    Sketch.     M.     H. 

Kriege. 
Froebel  and  Education  by  Self-Activity.     H.  Courthope 

Bowen. 

Froebel's  Letters.     Edited  by  A.  H.  Heineman. 
Froebel  the  Man  and  His  Work.     A.  L.  Page. 
Kindergarten  and  Child  Culture.     Henry  Barnard. 
Life  of  Friedrich  Froebel.     D.  J.  Snider. 
Reminiscences     of     Friedrich     Froebel.     Baroness     von 

Marenholtz  Billow. 

Froebel  in  His  Study.  A.  H.  Heineman.  Kindergarten 
Magazine,  Sept.  Oct.  Dec.  1891. 

Froebel  and  Diesterweg  at  Hamburg  in  1850.  A.  H. 
Heineman.  Kindergarten  Magazine,  Dec.  1891. 

The  German  Froebel  Union.  Amalie  Hofer.  Kinder- 
garten Magazine,  Oct.  1894. 

Frau  Luise  Levin  Froebel.  Bertha  Johnston.  Kinder- 
garten Magazine,  March,  1900. 

Friedrich  Froebel.  A  Biographical  Sketch.  Bertha  John- 
ston. Kindergarten  Magazine,  April,  1901. 

Diesterweg.  Maria  Kraus-Boelte.  Kindergarten  Mag- 
azine, Jan.  1902. 

How  I  Came  into  the  Froebel  Service.  Dr.  Pappenheim. 
Kindergarten  Magazine,  Jan.  1902. 

Froebel  Festivals  in  Thuringia,  Germany.  Eleanora 
Heerwart.  Kindergarten  Magazine,  Jan.  1902. 

How  Froebel  Came  to  Hamburg.  As  told  by  Elizabeth 
Peabody  in  a  letter  dated  1867.  Kindergarten  Mag- 
azine, February,  1902. 

Frau  Schrader  Interprets  Froebel  on  Co-education. 
Kindergarten  Magazine,  December,  1902. 

A  Study  of  the  Original  Kindergartens.  Grace  Owen. 
Elementary  School  Teacher,  December,  1906. 


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